^ 


PRINCETON.  N.  J. 


?K 


Library  of  Dr.  A.  A.  ffod^e.      Presented. 


BS  651  .M75  1871 
Morris,  Herbert  W.  1818- 

1897. 
Science  and  the  Bible 


A 


g 

H 
•> 

P 
< 


< 
P 


Science  and  the  Bible; 


OR,    THE 


MOSAIC  CREATION  AND  MODERN  DISCOVERIES. 


BY 

Rev.  HERBERT  W.  MORRIS,  A.  M., 

FURMERLT    PROFESSOR   OF   MATUEMATICS  IN   NEWIiNGTON    COLLEGIATE   INSTITUTION. 


Z  I  E  G  L  E  R     &     M  c  C  U  R  D  Y, 

I'llILADELPIIIA,  Pa.;  CINCINNATI,  0. ;    CHICAGO,  III.  ;    ST.  LOUIS,  Mo. 

SPRINGFIELD,  Mass. 

.1871. 


Entered  according  to  Art  nf  Congress,  in  the  year  1871,  bj' 

Rev.  HERBERT  W.  ^MORRIS,  A.  M.. 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D. C. 


S.    A.     GEORGE      &     CO., 

STEREOTTPERS   AXP    PRINTERS 

PIIIUDELPHIA. 


PREFACE. 


WO  great  Volumes  have  been  laid  before  man  for  his 
instruction,  and  from  which  his  ideas  and  science  all 
have  been  derived — the  material  Works,  and  the 
inspired  Word  of  God.  These  being  the  productions 
of  the  same  wise  and  unchangeable  Author,  the  harmony 
subsisting  between  them  is  universal  and  complete.  Both 
have  for  their  end  the  manifestation  of  the  invisible  Deity. 
While  in  the  Bible  we  have  a  verbal  revelation  of  the  wisdom 
and  power  and  goodness  of  God,  in  material  Nature  w^e  have 
a  pictorial  revelation  of  the  same,  "  the  invisible  things  of  Him 
being  understood  by  the  things  that  are  made,  even  his  eternal 
power  and  Godhead." 

Though  both  these  revelations  date  from  a  period  far  back 
in  the  past,  yet  each  retains,  after  the  lapse  of  all  the  ages,  its 
original  interest  and  freshness  undiminished.  The  Bible, 
though  the  oldest  of  books,  is  confessedly  ever  new  and  de- 
lightful to  those  who  have  been  taught  to  enter  into  its  spirit. 
The  expanded  pages  of  Creation,  likewise,  present  us  with  a 
study  that  is  as  marvellous  and  attractive  now  as  it  was  six 
thousand  years  ago.  We  of  to-day  discover  as  much  to  admire 
in  the  "  great  deep,"  in  "  the  precious  things  of  the  everlasting 


4  PREFACE. 

hills,"  in  the  overspreading  vegetation,  and  in  the  living 
tenants  of  the  earth,  as  did  Adam  when  he  walked  forth  to 
survey  the  beauties  of  Eden  while  arrayed  in  the  glitter  of  its 
earliest  dews.  Neither  the  wealth  of  meaning,  nor  the  depth 
of  interest,  treasured  up  in  these  divine  volumes,  will  ever  be 
exhausted. 

In  the  following  pages  the  study  of  these  two  books  is  com- 
bined; and  the  main  design  of  the  Writer,  while  all  along 
indicating  their  harmony,  is  to  illustrate  the  inspired  Record 
of  Creation  by  the  marvellous  developments  of  modern  science 
in  the  various  departments  of  Nature — to  bring  before  the 
Reader,  from  among  the  abounding  materials  of  each  Day's 
work,  such  objects  and  scenes  and  agencies  as  present  striking 
displays  of  the  omnipotence,  wisdom  and  beneficence  of  the 
Creator,  and  convincing  evidences  of  his  universal  presence  and 
unremitting  agency.  Such  a  presentation  of  the  phenomena  of 
nature  in  elucidation  of  the  sacred  Word,  it  is  believed,  will 
be  found  by  every  reflecting  person,  not  only  deeply  interesting 
as  a  study,  but  also  in  the  highest  degree  calculated  to  expand 
the  views,  enlighten  the  judgment,  and  improve  the  heart.  In 
thus  devoutly  studying  the  Word  of  God  in  connection  with 
his  wonderful  works,  we  discover  the  conceptions  and  plans, 
the  reasonings  and  purposes,  of  God ;  and,  to  the  extent  of  our 
capacity.  His  mind  becomes  our  mind,  and  His  science  our 
science.  The  more  we  investigate  what  He  hath  done,  the 
more  shall  we  know  of  Him,  and  the  more  we  shall  admire 
what  we  know,  and  love  what  we  admire. 

In  regard  to  the  scientific  illustrations  offered,  it  may  be 
proper  to  state,  that  the  Author  entered  nearly  every  quarry 


PREFA  CE.  5 

within  his  reach  that  promised  materials  suitable  to  his  pur- 
pose, and  fashioning  them  after  his  own  plan,  inserted  them  in 
the  edifice  rearing  under  his  hands.  Anxious,  however,  to 
profit  all  classes  of  readers,  he  has,  in  general,  abstained  from 
the  more  abstruse  refinements  of  science,  and,  as  far  as 
practicable,  from  the  use  of  learned  technicalities;  he  feels 
assured,  however,  that  the  work  on  this  account  will  prove 
none  the  less  interesting  or  profitable  to  those  who  may  chance 
to  be  familiar  with  both.  Great  pains  have  been  taken  to 
obtain  the  latest  and  most  accurate  results  of  science  in  every 

department  of  the  subject. 

H.  W.  M. 

Rochester,  N.  Y., 

January,  1871. 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


1.  Adam  and  Eve  in  their  Innocence, 

2.  Genealogy  of  Plants  and  Animals, 

3.  Ideal  Scene  in  the  Carboniferous  Period, 

4.  Ichthyosaurus  and  Plesiosaurus, 

5.  Reign  of  Quadrupeds, 

6.  Chaos  coming  on,       .... 

7.  Temple  of  Jupiter  Serapis, 

8.  The  Waters  divided  from  the  Waters, 

9.  Thunder-storm, 

10.  Snow-flakes,        .         .         .         . 

11.  Theory  of  the  Tides, 

12.  Crystal  Forms, 

13.  Forest  of  the  Coal  Period, 

14.  Fossil  Vegetation  found  in  Coal,     . 

15.  Mount  Ararat, 

16.  Tropical  Forest,  .... 

17.  Comparative  size  of  the  Sun  and  Planets, 

18.  Spots  and  Facul^e  of  the  Sun, 

19.  The  Moon's  Surface  (two  phases) 

20.  Eclipses  and  Annual  Path  of  the  Moon, 

21.  Planets — Mars,  Saturn,  and  Earth,  . 

22.  Diagram  of  the  Solar  System,  . 


Frontispiece. 
Page    38 

39 

40 

42 

51 

59 

99 
127 

134 

151 
171 

174 
176 
180 
226 
241 
245 
257 
266 
272 
308 


8  LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS. 

23.  Two  Remarkable  Comets,  .... 

24.  Samples  of  Nebula, 

25.  Star  Clusters,  or  Telescopic  Views  of  NEBULiE, 

26.  The  Whale, 

27.  The  Cuttle-fish,         .         .         ... 

28.  Let  Fowl  multiply  in  the  Earth,     . 

29.  Advancing  Clouds  of  Locusts,   . 

30.  Habitations  of  Termites   or  White  Ants, 

31.  Domestic  Animals, 

32.  The  Tiger, 


325 
346 

347 
364 
393 
413 

455 
458 

477 
492 


CONTENTS. 


Preface 3 

List  of  Illustrations 7 

The  Subject  and  Design  of  the  Work  stated 19 

THE  BEGINNING. 

Sublimity  of  the  opening  sentence  of  the  Bible — Origination  of  matter — Ancients 
thought  the  Earth  eternal — A  beginning  proved — From  the  composition  of 
the  elements — From  the  character  of  molecules— From  the  derivation  of 
strata — From  the  succession  of  fossil  species — From  the  structure  of  the 
solar  system — When  the  beginning  was,  not  stated — Earth's  original  form 
unknown — Nebular  idea — Evidences  of  a  molten  condition — AtmosplHre  of 
steam — Temperature  reduced — Surface  solidified  and  fractured — Prodigious 
rains  and  floods — Alternate  upheavals  and  submergences — Formation  of 
stratified  rocks — Life  introduced — First  plants  and  animals  in  the  sea — 
Crinoids  and  Stone-flowers — Corals  and  Trilobites — Fish  dynasty — Wonders 
of  primeval  vegetation — Traces  of  insects — First  tracks  of  birds — Reptile 
dynasty — Their  frightful  character — Reign  of  quadrupeds — Their  huge  di- 
mensions— [Mastodon,  Deinotherium,  Megatherium — Elephants,  Rhinoce- 
roses and  Hippopotamuses  roaming  the  British  Isles — Animals  advancing 
to  higher  types— Soil  and  climate  improving—"  The  beginning  "  incalcula- 
bly remote — Geological  periods  a  parallel  to  astronomical  distances 25 

Reflections.  The  Beginuiiirf  an  amazing  er.a — God  the  alone  existence 
— Immutable  and  impassive — Knowing  the  end  from  the  beginning — All  co- 
operating to  advance  his  plan  and  accomplish  his  purpose 45 

THE  CHAOTIC  PERIOD. 

History — Connection  and  date — The  globe  a  dark  and  watery  waste — This 
doubted  by  some — Meaning  of  Tohu  vavohu — Duration  of  this  chaotic  state 
— Fish  still  in  the  sea — Portions  of  land  above  water — Certain  animals 
possibly  survived — How  the  desolation  was  brought  about — Depression  of 
the  land,  or  a  slight  upheaval  of  the  ocean  beds  adequate — O'ljcctions 
answered — Present  elevation  of  the  continents — Earth's  crust  ever  hoavin<» 
and  sinking — Trees  cross  the  watery  chaos  in  their  seeds — Animal  remains 
not  always  a  connected  chain — Evidences  of  a  chaos  at  the  period  in  ques- 
tion— Change  of  climate — General  extinction  of  plants  and  animals — Great 
subsidences  of  ocean  beds — 200  islands  disappear — New  Jloro  and  fauna 

9 


10  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

found — Recapitulation  of  arguments — Mosaic  record  confirmed — Harmony 
of  this  and  former  cutastrophies — Design    of  second  verse — Its    import — 

Hovering  of  the  Spirit — What  meant 51 

Reflections.  Physical  chaos  emblematical  of  the  moral  disorder  of  the 
world — Final  issue  improbable — As  out  of  the  former,  so  in  the  end,  out  of 
the  latter,  order,  beauty  and  glory  shall  result ;     73 

THE    FIRST    DAY. 

History — Beginning  of  the  Mosaic  creation — The  "  Six  Days"  literal — Reasons 
for  this — No  adequate  necessity  for  a  figurative  interpretation — The  literal 
the  most  consistent  sense — The  creations  of  each  Day  maj'  stand  representa- 
tive of  similar  former  creations — Objection  to  progressive  creation — Beauty 
of  the  narrative — "  God  said  " — No  vocal  utterance — Exposition 79 

LIGHT. 

An  etherial  element — Two  theories — The  first  production — Life-blood  of  Nature 
— Vegetation  in  darkness — Influences  of  light  on  plants — On  animals — 
Essential   to   bodily  development — To   mental  vigour — To   recovery  from 

disease — Hospitals 90 

Reflections.  Primeval  night  an  emblem  of  the  condition  of  a  fallen 
Race — Parallel  between  the  natural  and  moral  illumination  of  the  world — 
Sun  of  Righteousness  to  illumine  the  whole  earth — Why  so  long  delay  ? 93 

THE  SECOND  DAY. 

History — Its  brevity — Exposition  of  terms — What  embraced 99 

THE  ATMOSPHERE. 
Aerial  ocean — Its  dimensions — Density  and  rarity — Experience  of  aeronauts — 
Enormous  pressure — A  compound — Gases  in  the  same  proportion  every- 
where— A  change  injurious  or  fatal — A  thousand  proportions  possible,  one 
only  suitable — Relative  weights  of  gases — This  of  vital  moment — Twofold 

character  of  oxygen — Innocuous  and  consuming 101 

Reflections.  On  the  mass  of  the  atmosphere — On  its  pressure — On  its 
composition — All  marvels  of  wisdom  and  demonstrations  of  benevolence 105 

THE  WINDS. 
How   produced — Simple  experiment — Sea   and  land  breezes — Polar  and  equa- 
torial currents — Variable  winds — The  Trad) u—llov!  produced — An  inverse 

process — Monsoon — Sirocco,  harmattan,  typhoon,  cyclone 107 

REPLErriONS.  Nothing  merely  capricious — All  things  governed  by  infal- 
lible laws — As  the  wind,  so  the  Spirit,  is  known  by  his  effects 113 

EVAPORATION. 

This  process  concerned  in  establishing  the  firmament — To  be  in  perpetual  opera- 
tion— Whnt  would  have  been  man's  plan  of  watering  the  earth? — How 
water  is  ni;nle  to  ascend  the  skies — Formation  of  clouds — How  conveyed 
where  ncednd — Discharge  their  cargoes  by  rule  and  measure — The  method 
most  admirable — Quantity  evaporated  immense — Illustration  from  the  Dead 
Sea — Total  amount  of  evaporation — Moisture  in  the  air  essential  to  organ- 
ised existences — Our  protection  from  intense  and  fatal  cold 115 


CONTENTS.  1 1 

PAGE 

Reflections.  Unity  of  plan  in  Nature — Magnificence  of  the  water- 
works of  Heaven — Scenery  of  the  firmament — Gathering  thunder  clouds — 
Splendors  of  the  setting  sun — A  type  of  prayer,  and  its  gracious  returns 123 

LIGHTNING  AND  THUNDER. 
Electricity  diffused   through   all   nature — Its   potency — Generated   by  winds — 
Positive  and  negative — Lightning  and  thunder  in  miniature — A  storm — 
Appalling  experiment  with  November  mist — Lightning  rods,  and  nature's 

conductors — Benefits  of  thunder  storms 127 

Reflections.  Manifold  and  mysterious  operations  of  electricity — In- 
spires awe  and  reverence — Yet  speaks  of  Heaven's  benignity  as  clearly  as 
the  sunbeam 132 

SNOW  AND  HAIL. 

Composed  of  frozen  vapors — Beauty  and  variety  of  snow  flakes — Composition  of 
hail — Snow  a  protection  to  vegetation  in  winter — Renders  high  latitudes 

habitable — Snow-water  fertilizing  to  the  soil 134 

Reflections.  Every  flake  formed  with  art  and  skill  Divine — Charms  of 
winter — Lakes  and  rivers  converted  into  mirrors — Hills  and  valleys  man- 
tled in  pure  white 136 

THE  AIR  AS  A  MEDIUM. 

To  the  Air  we  owe  the  delicious  blue  of  the  skies — The  softening  shades  of  the 
landscape — The  morning  and  evening  twilight — It  is  the  means  of  flight  to 

birds — The  medium  of  speech,  smell,  and  music 138 

Reflections.  Theology  in  the  firmament — A  concourse  of  designs  and 
contrivances — A  magazine  of  adaptations  to  the  various  organs  of  animal 
existences 139 

THE  THIRD    DAY. 

History — A  scene  of  grandeur — Exposition — What  embraced 145 

THE  SEA. 

Proportion  of  Land  and  Water — Reasons— Ilills  and  valleys  beneath  the  ocean 
— Its  saltness — Tides — Vertical  and  lateral  currents — Streams — Gulf  stream 
and  its  wonders — Its  conflict  with  a  Polar  giant — Other  streams — Beneficent 

results 148 

Reflections.  Symbol  of  the  Infinite — Plan — Relations  and  ends — 
New  earth,  but  no  sea 159 

THE  DRY  LAND. 

Elevated  after  fixed  design — Outlines  and  their  importance — Altitudes  and  their 
effects — Relative  positions — Polar  waters — Design  in  each  portion  and 
feature — Vegetative  covering — Mineral  stores — Metals — Gems' — Crystaliza- 
tion — God's  geometry — Brilliancy  and  perfection — Diversity  out  of  unity...   163 

Reflections.  On  Salt,  its  abundance — On  Coal,  its  marvellous  history — 
On  Iron,  its  admirable  qualities 174 

MOUNTAINS. 
Parts  of  one  grand  scheme — Principal  chains — Thrust  up — Not  deformities — 

Manifold  advantages — Ararat 180 


12  CONTENTS. 

PAOB 

Reflections.  Built  by  rule,  and  weighed  in  a  balance — Schools  and 
libraries — Sacred  mountains  witnesses  for  God 187 

RIVERS. 
Vital  fluid — Circulation — System  of  drainage — In  Europe — In  Asia — In  Africa 

— In  America — Channels  of  commerce — Scenic  beauty 191 

Reflections.  Significant  representation — Sacred  rivers  and  their  asso- 
ciations— Similitude  of  human  life 195 

VEGETATION. 
A  new  thing — Absurdity  of  Atheism — Order — Moses  in  advance  of  Linnaeus — 
Universal  spread  of  vegetation — Endless  variety — Properties  of  grass — 
General  color — Every  plant  a  laboratory.  1.  Roots,  their  twofold  ofiSce. 
2.  Leaves,  their  forms  and  functions.  3.  Floicers,  their  delicacy  and  beauty 
— complication  of  parts — organs  of  reproduction — instinctive  movements — 
luminosity — regulation  of  the  sun's  heat — the  perfection  of  workmanship. 
4.  Seeds — contain  the  plant  in  embryo — diversity  of  seed-vessels — fecundity 
of  plants — dispersion  of  seeds — germination — longevity  of  seeds.  5.  Edi- 
bles— variety  and  profusion — capacity  for  improvement 197 

Reflections.  Divine  chemistry — Infinitude  of  contrivances  and  adapta- 
tions— "  Consider  the  Lilies  " — Admonitions  from  the  zizania  and  uatilago 
foetida — Lessons  from  leaf  and  flower  and  blade  of  grass 226 

THE    FOURTH    DAY. 

History — Exposition  of  the  Record — Time  measurers — Disadvantages  of  a 
world  at  rest 235 

THE  SUN. 
Ancient  idea  of  celestial  movements — Sun's  distance — Magnitude — Constitution 
— Spots — Faculas — Flames — Gravitation — Action  of  gravitation  and  centri- 
fugal force  illustrated — Amount  of  the  Sun's  gravitation — Light — Theories 
of  Newton  and  Laplace — Velocity  of  light — Production  of  colors — Helio- 
graphy — The    principle   of    light   still    a   mystery — Other   results   of    the 

Sun's  agency 240 

Reflections.  Impressive  display  of  Eternal  wisdom  and  power — Em- 
blem of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness 255 

THE  MOON. 

In  herself  a  dark  globe — Illumined  by  the  sun — Has  three  distinct  motions — 
Distance  from  the  earth — Her  dimensions — How  near  brought  to  us  by 
telescopes — Photographs  of  her  sphere — General  aspect  of  her  surface — Her 
caverns,  mountains  and  precipices — Mount  Eratosthenes — Her  plains— Has 
no  atmosphere,  curious  effects — Seasons  and  climate — Eclipses  and  their 

phenomena — Eclipses  establishing  dates  in  ancient  history 258 

Reflections.  A  new  world — A  suggestive  orb — An  instructive  emblem 
of  the  Church 270 

THE  PLANETS. 
Planets  and  fixed  stars,  how  distinguished— Number  of  planets— ilfercMry,  its 


CONTENTS.  13 


PAG£ 


distance,  periods,  density,  &c. —  Fenii*,  its  position,  dimensions,  and  other 
phenomena. 

The  Edilh  the  third  planet — Its  orbit,  and  motion  in  it — Annual  period 
adapted  to  plantal  and  animal  constitution — Diurnal  revolution — Variation 
of  days  and  nights,  and  of  seasons,  how  produced — Civil  day — Axial  rota- 
tion undeviating — Diurnal  period  adapted  to  the  nature  of  vegetation  and 
living  creatures — Evidence  of  foresight  and  design — Distance  from  the  sun 
— This  measured  to  suit  the  nature  and  wants  of  terrestrial  existences — 
Dimensions,  density  and  gravitation — All  adapted  to  the  strength  of 
existing  organizations — Consequence  of  increasing  or  diminishing  gravita- 
tion— Foregoing  particulars,  a  demonstration  of  our  planet  being  the 
production  of  Infinite  wisdom  and  power. 

Mars — Favorable  for  observation — Distance,  periods,  and  density — Simi- 
larity to  the  earth — lias  seas  and  continents,  islands  and  mountains,  clouds 
and  rain  and  snow.  Asteroids — Their  number,  distance,  size,  gravitation. 
Jupiter — Distance,  velocity,  periods,  dimensions,  density — Its  belts — Indica- 
tions of  water  and  atmosphere — Interesting  peculiarities — Has  four  Satel- 
lites— A  miniature  system — A  magnificent  spectacle.  Saliini — Its  distance, 
periods,  velocity,  and  dimensions — Light  and  heat — Small  density — Its 
Rings — A  marvellous  mechanism — Has  eight  Satellites — Grandeur  of  its 
nocturnal  firmament — A  thrilling  exhibition.  Uranus — Its  remoteness, 
dimensions  and  periods — Degree  of  light  and  heat — Furnished  with  six 
Satellites — The  position  of  their  orbits,  and  the  direction  of  their  motion,  a 
singularity  and  a  mystery.  Xej)tuiic — The  remarkable  manner  of  its  dis- 
covery— Its  immense  distance — Its  size  and  annual  period. 

Review — Are  these  great  globes  inhabited  ? — Some  return  a  negative 
answer — Their  diflSculties — Every  clime,  every  corner  of  the  earth  has  its 
inhabitants — Planet  populations  not  impossible — The  affirmative — Numer- 
ous and  striking  analogies — The  more  rational  supposition 272 

Reflections.  Our  place  in  the  Creation — Humility — Littleness  of  man 
— Greatness  of  God 305 

THE  PLANETARY  SYSTEM. 
A  complete  and  harmonious  scheme — Foresight,  calculation  and  plan  clearly 
exhibited — In  the  general  laws  governing  the  planets — In  the  means  and 
method  of  their  illumination — In  the  character  of  their  orbits^In  their 
rotation  upon  their  axes — In  their  orbital  velocities — In  the  adjustments 
made  for  the  stability  of  the  system — The  Presiding  agency  of  the  Creator 
— The  view  held  by  Newton,  Bacon,  Herschel  and  others — God  the  efficient 

cause  of  all  motion 309 

Reflections.  Grounds  and  encouragements  to  repose  entire  confidence 
in  God 323 

COMETS. 
Members  of  the  Solar  System — Their  number — Appearance — Bodies  of  extreme 
tenuity — Change   their   forms — Revolve   in  all    kinds  of  orbits — Traverse 
every  region  of  the  Heavens — Move  with  every  imaginable  velocity — Their 

extreme  eccentricity — Periods  of  revolution — A  field  of  great  mystery 325 

Reflections.  The  unknown  greater  than  the  known — Groundless  appre- 
hensions— All-embracing  Providence — Distant  influences  combined — Comets 
dethroning  kings,  deciding  battles,  and  shaping  the  destiny  of  nations 331 


14  CONTENTS. 

THE  FIXED  STARS.  paob 

Planets  as  near  neighbors — Stars  incomparably  more  remote — Distance  of  a  few 
calculated — Limits  of  the  Universe  undiscoverable — Changes  and  revolu- 
tions observed  among  the  most  distant  stars — Double,  triple,  and  multiple 
stars — Stars  of  different  colors — Stupendous  dimensions  of  stars — Their 
number — Milky  Way,  a  nebula — 3,000  other  nebulae — Each  star,  like  the 
sun,  the  centre  of  a  system — Law  and  order  prevailing  throughout  visible 

space 338 

Reflections.    Evidences  of  God's  universal  presence — His  boundless  em- 
pire— The  redemption  of  one  fallen  world — A  miracle  of  loving  kindness....  350 

THE   FIFTH    DAY. 

History — Creation  progressive  and  ascending — Animal  organizations  now  intro- 
duced— Life  a  mystery — Peculiar  interest  of  animated  beings — Exposition 
of  the  Record — Water  pre-eminently  the  seat  of  life 359 

WHALES. 

Remarkable  creatures — Connecting  link — Of  enormous  size  and  strength — Fit- 
ness to  inhabit  frozen  oceans — Faculties — Habits — Affection 364 

Reflections.     On  the  perfection  of  the  Divine  workmanship  even  in 
these  monsters 367 

FISHES. 

Number  of  species — Variety  in  size  and  character — Formed  for  ease  and  rapidity 
of  motion — Their  covering,  its  suitableness,  beauty  and  perfection — Peculiar 
mode  of  respiration — Their  eyes  adapted  for  their  dense  element,  and  for 
their  several  habits — Sense  of  touch  and  taste  feeble — Smelling  and  hearing 
acute — Their  sagacity — Long-lived — Excel  in  strength — Astonishing  in- 
stincts— Abounding  fecundity — Migrations  distant  and  unerring — Contrast 
between  fishes  and  land  animals — Means  of  attack  and  defence,  divers  and 

extraordinary 368 

Reflections.     On    the   illimitable   invention,  and  fertility  of  resources 
displayed  in  the  creation  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  deep 383 

CRUSTACEANS. 

Remarkable  creatures — Variety — Complicated  in  structure — The  Lobster — De- 
scription— Fecundity — Moulting,  a  most  extraordinary  feat — Provision  for 

a  new  suit 384 

Reflections.     On  instinct  accomplishing  what  would  puzzle  and  bafi9e 
intellect -      387 

MOLLUSCANS. 

Immense  variety — Beauty  of  shells — Characteristics  of  the  occupants — Univalve 
class,  cowries,  carinaria  vitrea,  violet  snails,  nautilus,  etc. — Bivalves, 
escallops,  oyster,  pearl  oyster — Singing  mussel — Giant  clninp-shell — Cuttle- 
fish, octopus,  loligo,  etc.,  a  remarkable  family 388 

Reflections.     On  the  mathematical  principles  displayed  in  the  structure 
of  shells 394 


CONTENTS.  15 

ANIMALCULES.  paq. 

• 

Much  within  the  limits  of  natural  vision — Microscope  reveals  a  new  world  of 
living  wonders — Strange  and  fantastic  animals — Their  numbers  and  minute- 
ness— Proteus,  Kotifcra  and  hydra — Infusoria — A  drop  of  water  the  homo 
of  500,000,000 — Movements  and  performances — Rapid  multiplication — Ex- 
traordinary modes  of  reproduction 396 

Reflections.  Infinity  above  and  infinity  below — As  di£Scult  to  stretch 
the  imagination  to  the  minute  as  to  the  vast — Contrast  between  telescopic 
and  microscopic  revelations 401 

SPLENDORS  OF  OCEAN  LIFE. 

Vast  chaiQ  of  animated  existences — Display  of  all-comprehending  Intelligence — 
Proofs  of  the  Creator's  universal  and  unceasing  agency — The  production  of 
happiness  a  leading  design  with  God — Interesting  scene  beneath  the  waters 
of  the  North  Sea — Animated  charms  of  the  Mediterranean — Brilliant  dis- 
plays at  the  bottom  of  the  Caribbean  Sea — Submarine  gardens  of  the  Pacific 
—"The  earth  full  of  Thy  riches" 403 

BIRDS. 

An  interesting  class — A  question  man  could  not  answer — Design  and  adaptation 
conspicuous — Buoyancy — Provision  for  sinking  and  diving — Covering, 
every  feather  a  wonder — Diversity  of  forms  and  habits — Striking  adapta- 
tions of  the  Beak — Of  the  Foot — Of  the  internal  Orgnas — Great  muscular 
power  of  birds — The  famous  problem  of  Bernouli — Sight,  hearing  and 
smelling— Intelligence—Memory — Voice,  structure  of  the  wind-pipe,  and 
larynx — Music  of  the  grove — Power  of  a  bird's  voice — Pairing,  a  beneficent 
appointment — Nest-building,  its  ingenuity — Number  of  eggs  laid — Incuba- 
tion, exhibiting  marvels  of  instinct — Fecundity — Migration 413 

Reflections.  On  the  Divine  invention,  guidance  and  goodness,  as  seen 
in  Birds — Living  Parables — "Behold  the  fowls  of  the  air" — "As  a  hen 
gathereth  her  chickens" — "As  an  eagle  stirreth  up  her  nest" 436 

INSECTS. 

Productions  of  the  fifth  day — Number  of  species — Endowed  with  choicest  powers 
— Multiplicity  and  complication  of  parts — External  members — Manner  of 
breathing — Touch,  taste,  smell  and  hearing — Sight,  transcendent  mechanism 
of  their  eyes — A  substitute  for  speech — Passions — Strength — Mode  of  repro- 
duction— Fecundity — Clouds  of  locusts — Instinctive  sagacity — Patience, 
stratagems,  and  architecture  of  Spiders — Ants,  their  industry,  dwellings, 
government,  military  expeditions,  and  captured  servants — Bees,  a  wonderful 
people,  live  under  a  sovereign,  and  dwell  in  a  city — Plan  of  its  avenues, 
streets  and  dwellings — A  problem  of  high  matheiniitics  reduced  to  practice 
by  insects — The  comb  a  result  of  superior  intelligence,  whose  intelli- 
gence?   444 

Reflections.  Insects  a  powerful  agency,  and  a  pleasing  ornament  in 
the  world — The  Hand  Divine  seen  in  the  least  as  well  as  the  greatest — A 
brilliant  and  happy  population  within  the  bosom  of  a  carnation — A  beauti- 
ful illustration — A  solemn  warning 465 


16  CONTESTS. 

I.     THE   SIXTH    DAY.  p^oe 

History — The  work  continued — Spontaneous  generation — Bar  to  confusion 475 

DOMESTIC  ANIMALS. 
Made  for  man — Sheep,  their  twofold  value — Cattle,  yielding  help  and  sustenance 
— Horse,  a  combination  of  excellent  qualities — Camel,  formed  for  the  desert 
—Elephant,  its  strength,  sagacity  and  affection— Rein-deer,  its  owner's 
stock  of  wealth — Dog,  his  intelligence,  fidelity  and  attachment — Each  ani- 
mal fitted  for  its  place  and  use 477 

Reflections.  Domestic  animals  evidences  of  a  Father's  care — To  be 
treated  with  kindness — To  be  regarded  with  reflection — The  lessons  they 
teach 487 

WILD  ANIMALS. 

Import  of  the  word  "Beast."  Qiiadi-Htnana — Orang-outang — Chimpanzee — 
Monkey — Wide  anatomical  and  mental  differences  between  these  and  man. 
Cheirojiterana — Vampires  and  Bats — An  extraordinary  faculty.  Predaeeana 
— Lion,  his  form  and  character — Tiger,  his  strength  and  ferocity — Leopard 
— Bear,  its  importance  in  Kamtschatka,  an  affecting  story — Marten,  Sable, 
Ermine.  Rodentea — Rabbit,  its  prolifieness — Hare — Pika,  its  provident 
industry  and  grievous  wrongs — Rat  and  Mouse — Beaver,  its  sagacity, 
dykes  and  habitations.  Edcntes — Ornithorhynchus,  a  paradox — Ant-eater. 
Ruminanti — The  ruminating  process — Gazelle,  Antelope  and  Chamois,  their 
elegance  and  agility — Giraffe — Buffalo.  Pachyderms — Rhinoceros — Hippo- 
potamus— Tapir.     Maraupians — Kangaroo,  its  peculiar  form — Opossum 492 

Reflectioxs.  Every  beast  constituted  for  its  appointed  place — Ferocity 
of  beasts,  how  reconciled  with  Divine  benevolence 508 

REPTILES. 
Generally  shunned,  yet  instructive — Some  amphibious,  all  cold-blooded.  Saurl- 
ans — Crocodile,  its  size,  strength  and  habits — Gavial — Alligator.  Cheloni- 
ana — Tortoise,  its  encasement,  longevity,  vitality  and  peculiar  circulation. 
Ophidians — Boa  Constrictor,  its  length  and  voraciousness — Liboya — Rattle- 
snake, viviparous — Agility  of  serpents — Emblem  of  cunning — Tenacity  of 
life — Number  of  the  poisonous.  Batrachians — Frog,  its  interesting  trans- 
formations—Toad— Pipa,  its  peculiar  mode  of  hatching— Cruelty  to  these 
harmless  animals,  rernies— Varieties— Earthworms,  may  be  multiplied  by 
division,  benefit  the  soil.     Entozoa,  or  parasites  inhabiting  the  bodies  of 

living  animals;  found  rioting  in  every  corner  of  the  human  frame 512 

Reflections.  The  Leviathan  of  Job  and  the  Saurians  of  the  Geologist 
— Instrumentality  of  the  Serpent  in  the  Fall  of  Mav — Nothing  made  in 
vain — No  creature  beneath  its  Maker's  care 524 

II.     THE  SIXTH    DAY. 

History — The  mansion  prepared  and  furnished — The  Inhabitant  now  to  be  in- 
troduced— Elohim  in  solf-consultation — Three  Persona — Image  and  likeness 
of  God — Man's  dominion — Divine  benediction — Appointed  food — "All 
very  good" 531 


CONTENTS.  1 7 

MAN'S  BODILY  FRAME.  pack 

The  crowning  work — Erect  posture,  its  advantages  and  nobleness — Symmetry 
of  parts — Skin,  iis  delicacy  and  influence— The  Hand,  its  unrivalled  me- 
chanism and  importance — Man  embodies  all  animal  excellences — His  gene- 
ral structure — The  exquisite  adjustments  of  his  muscular  and  nervous 
systems — The  vital  machinery  viewed  in  full  operation — All  repaired  and 
renewed  without  a  moment's  interruption 536 

INTELLECTUAL  POWERS. 
Foregoing  structure  made  for  the  service  of  the  indwelling  Spirit — The  brain 
the  temple  of  the  mind — The  nerves  its  telegraphic  wires — Acquires  impres- 
sions of  the  external  world  through  the  senses — Elaborates  from  them 
innumerable  conclusions — Memory  treasures  up  ideas,  Recollection  calls 
them  forth  as  needed — Importance  of  these  faculties — Nothing  lost  from 
memory — Illustrations  of  this — Memory  holds  its  stores  for  the  service  of 
the  intellect — The  use  intellect  has  made  of  them — The  mind  capacitated 
for  endless  progress 547 

EMOTIONAL  CONSTITUTION. 
An  important  department  of  the  mental  furniture — The  various  emotions  and 
their   offices  stated — Without  these,  life  would   be  a  blank  of  passionless 
intellectuality 55g 

HIS  MORAL  NATURE. 
Conscience  the  crowning  faculty — Its  authority  sacred  and  supreme — It  may  be 
resisted — Its  existence  an  evidence  for  the  righteousness  of  God — It  elevates 
man  above  all  earthly  creatures — In  the  first  created  man,  all  the  faculties 
and  aflFeetions  were  pure,  perfect  and  harmonious — And  as  a  result,  his  was 
unalloyed  and  unintermittcd  happiness 558 

HIS  HELP-MEET. 
"  Male  and  female  created  He  them  " — Man  and  woman  the  complement  of  each 
other — To  enhance  their  social  happiness,  they  are  endowed  with  the  power 

of  speech,  and  taught  the  use  of  language 561 

Reflections.     On  the  illustrious  character  and  happy  state  of  man  as  he 
came  from  the  hands  of  his  Maker 5fi2 

Closing  Remarks 505 

2 


THE 


BIBLE   AND    SCIENCE, 


EADER,  suppose  that,  by  some  concurrence  of 
circumstances,  you  were  unexpectedly  landed 
^i^  upon  a  foreign  shore,  and  among  unknown  peo- 
ple, where  you  presently  discover,  among  other 
wonders,  a  stately  temple,  magnificent  in  its  elevation 
and  proportions,  and  venerable  for  its  hoary  antiquity. 
You  approach  the  time-worn  steps  of  its  door-way,  and 
are  permitted  to  enter.  With  deep  and  solemn  interest 
you  advance,  step  by  step,  viewing  and  admiring  its 
several  parts — its  arches  and  windows,  its  altars, 
statuary,  and  paintings.  Delighted  and  astonished  at 
the  symmetry  and  beauty  everywhere  exhibited,  you 
now  turn  to  your  attendant,  and  make  many  inquiries  as 
to  the  uses  and  ends  of  what  you  have  seen — the  meaning 
of  the  emblems,  the  subjects  of  the  paintings,  and  the 
grand  purpose  of  the  whole  edifice.  Finding  all  things 
most  happily  adapted  for  their  several  ends,  and  the 
whole  fabric  presenting  a  display  of  surpassing  genius 
in  contrivance,  and  skill  in  execution,  your  admiration 
is  now  raised  higher  than  ever,  and  your  reflections  are 


19 


20  THE    BIBLE  AND   SCIENCE. 

involuntarily  and  at  once  carried  back  to  do  homage  to 
the  master  spirit,  the  noble  architect,  in  whose  creative 
mind  the  whole  majestic  pile  had  been  conceived,  and 
by  whose  plans  and  directions  its  erection  had  been 
begun,  carried  on,  and  completed.  Well,  this  is  not  a 
mere  imaginary  representation,  but  all  a  sober  statement 
of  fact ;  for  into  such  a  temple,  but  one  infinitely  more 
wondrous,  you  have  actually  been  introduced.  What 
structure  of  man's  rearing  or  contrivance  can  compare 
with  that  of  the  world  into  which  you  have  been  born  ? 
What  length  and  breadth  and  solidity  of  foundations 
have  we  here !  How  magnificent  its  overarching 
heavens  and  inextinguishable  luminaries !  What 
grandeur  in  its  naked  rocks  and  towering  mountains, 
in  its  heaving  oceans  and  flowing  rivers !  How  full  of 
charms  its  varied  sceneries !  What  richness  in  its 
living  and  verdant  carpeting !  What  ceaseless  and 
happy  activity  among  its  myriad  tenants  in  every 
habitable  part !  How  inimitable  the  music  softly 
echoing  in  its  groves  and  dells !  How  solemn  and 
sublime  the  anthems  rolling  through  its  heavens! 
Here,  then,  are  displays  of  strength  and  skill  and  taste, 
worthy  your  most  ardent  study  and  admiration.  And 
it  is  to  an  examination  of  this  temple  of  Divine  con- 
trivance and  workmanship  that  you  are  now  invited ; 
and  I  venture  to  promise  you,  that,  at  every  step  we 
shall  take  together,  whether  through  its  vaults  and 
crypts,  or  over  its  varied  and  living  mosaics,  or  among 
its   solar   and  astral   lights^  we   shall  find   matchless 


THE    BIBLE    AND    SCIENCE.  21 

wonders  of  wisdom  and  power  and  goodness  everywhere 
displayed.  If,  in  the  puny  productions  of  man,  we  can 
see  sufficient  to  awaken  our  curiosity  and  admiration, 
Jiere  we  shall  discover  enough  to  call  forth  our  pro- 
foundest  adoration.  And  I  cannot  but  believe,  dear 
reader,  whatever  thus  far  your  creed  or  your  practice 
may  have  been,  that  ere  we  shall  close  the  survey 
now  proposed,  we  shall  often  together  "  rise  from  nature 
to  nature's  God,"  and  even  iJiese  magnificent  wonders 
fade  from  view  in  our  admiration  of  the  Divine  perfec- 
tions from  which  they  have  emanated,  and  by  which 
thc}'  are  all  infinitely  transcended. 


©he  gcflinmnj^ 


Origination  of  Matter :  Primordial  condition  of  the  Earth ;  its  pre- Adamite 
revolutions. 


THE     BEGINNING. 

Genesis  1 :  1. — In  the  beginning  God  created  tlie  heaven  and  the  earth. 

HUS  opens  the  Book  of  God  with  the  announce- 
b_UI  iiient  of  a  truth  which  no  process  of  reasoning 
could  have  reached,  and  with  tlie  declaration  of 
a  fact  which  no  philosophy  could  ever  have  un- 
veiled. Nothing  can  exceed  the  grandeur  of  the  thought, 
nothing  surpass  the  appropriateness  of  the  words,  as 
an  introduction  to  the  sacred  volume.  Looking  back 
across  the  wide  waste  of  all  the  ages  past,  this  sentence 
of  divine  sublimity,  like  a  majestic  ARCHWAY,  stands 
at  the  closing  bounds  of  eternity  past — beyond  it  are 
the  silence  and  darkness  of  ancient  night ;  and  out  of 
it  issue  the  periods,  and  scenes,  and  events  of  time. 

This  first  verse  of  the  Inspired  Record  stands  as  a 
distinct  and  independent  sentence ;  and  by  it  the  Holy 
Spirit  affirms  that  the  heavens  and  the  earth  were 
"created,"  or  primarily  originated  by  God,  not  from 
elements  previously  existing,  but  from  nothing.  Here 
is  asserted^  the  absolute  origination  of  the  materials 
composing  the  universe.  This  creative  act  was  quite 
distinct  from,  and  long  anterior  to,  the  acts  included  in 
"  the  six  days,"  and  which  begin  with  the  emergence 
of  Ught  from  darkness,  at  the  tidrd  verse. 

25 


26  THE   BEGINNING. 

The  earth  and  the  heavens,  then,  had  a  "  beginning." 
Such  is  the  first  great  truth  taught  us  in  the  Bible — a 
truth  which  the  unaided  wisdom  of  man  failed  to  dis- 
cover or  even  conceive.  The  ancient  schools  of  phil- 
osophy, without  an  exception,  held  that  matter  was 
eternal.  To  them  it  appeared  an  absurdity  to  suppose 
that  anything  could  be  created  or  produced  from 
nothing.  "  Know  first  of  all,"  said  Epicurus,  "  that 
nothing  can  spring  from  nonentity."  Plato  declared 
matter  to  be  "  co-existent  with  God."  And  Aristotle 
asserted  the  eternity  of  the  world  both  in  matter  and 
form.  Nor  has  this  doctrine  of  the  ancients  been  with- 
out its  advocates  in  modern  times,  some  of  whom  have 
maintained,  not  only  that  the  globe  itself  has  been 
eternal,  but  also  that  there  have  existed  upon  it  an 
eternal  series  of  men,  of  beasts,  of  birds,  etc.  But  the 
history  before  us  affirms  that  the  earth,  and  all  things 
therein,  were  created  by  God,  and  had  a  beginning. 
And  to  a  beginning,  indeed,  all  things  around  us,  above 
us,  beneath  us,  obviously  carry  us  back. 

That  the  earth,  its  vegetation  and  living  inhabitants 
have  not  always  been — have  not  existed  from  eternity 
— ^is  proved  by  this  general  argument :  Order,  design, 
and  adaptation  of  means  to  ends,  universally  prove  the 
agency  of  intelligence ;  the  earth  and  its  "[Droductions 
everywhere  abound  with  instances  of  order,  design  and 
adaptation ;  therefore,  the  earth  and  its  productions 
must  be  the  work  of  an  intelligent  Being,  and,  conse- 
quently, must  have  had  a  beginning. 


THE   BEGINNING.  27 

Examination,  comparison  and  analysis,  in  whatever 
department  or  province  of  creation  made,  on  the  prin- 
ciple of  the  above  syllogism,  carry  us  straightway  back 
to  a  beginning.  Neitlicr  the  earth,  nor  anything  on 
the  earth,  is  found  to  be  simple  or  uncompounded. 
Everything  we  see,  feel  or  handle,  is  a  composition — a 
mixture  of  different  elements.  The  bodies  of  animals 
and  the  substance  of  plants,  the  soil  and  the  rocks,  and 
even  the  water,  the  air,  and  the  light  are  compounds. 
Now,  scientific  investigation  has  ascertained  that  there 
are  in  nature  fifty-four  simple  substances,  or  elementary 
principles,  and  that  everything  embraced  in  the  sub- 
stance, or  existing  upon  the  surface  of  the  globe,  is  a 
composition  of  a  greater  or  less  number  of  these.  As 
all  the  words  in  the  English  language  are  composed 
out  of  the  twenty-six  letters  of  the  alphabet,  so  out  of 
these  fifty-four  simple  substances  the  whole  volume  of 
creation  is  composed.  And  as  the  letters  are  combined 
in  a  definite  order  to  form  each  word,  so  these  elemen- 
tary principles  are  combined  in  uniform  and  established 
proportions,  to  form  the  various  materials  which  go  to 
make  up  our  world.  The  elements  composing  its 
atmosphere  and  its  water,  tlie  combinations  that  con- 
stitute the  crystals  composing  its  rocks,  and  the  angles 
and  facets  which  the  minutest  of  these  exhibit,  are  so 
far  from  indicating  the  fortuitous  result  of  accident, 
that  they  are  disposed  according  to  laws  the  most  unde- 
viating,  and  in  proportions  mathematically  exact.  But 
uniform  laws,  undeviating  order,  and  exact  proportions, 


28  THE  BEGINNING. 

must  be  the  products  of  an  intelligent  Being.  The  at- 
mosphere, the  water,  and  the  rocks,  therefore,  must  be 
the  work  of  such  a  Being,  and,  therefore,  must  have  had 
a  beginning.  The  ancient  Atheistic  theory  of  a  fortui- 
tous concourse  of  atoms  is  thus  completely  exploded. 

Nor  do  we  lack  evidence  to  prove  that  the  above 
fifty-four  elementary  substances  themselves  had  a  begin- 
ning. The  ultimate  and  indivisible  atoms  composing 
each  of  them  are  endowed  with  properties  that  have 
reference  and  adaptation  to  those  of  the  others — proper- 
ties that  qualify  them  to  attract  or  rej)el,  to  unite  or 
coalesce  with  those  of  the  others,  so  as  to  produce  the 
endlessly  diversified  combinations  and  organisms  of 
nature.  These  properties  in  the  molecules  of  each 
primary  element  are  fixed  and  definite,  both  in  their 
number  and  action.  "  I  assert,  without  fear  of  contra- 
diction," says  Prout  in  his  famous  Treatise  on  Chem- 
istry, "that  the  molecular  constitution  of  matter  is 
decidedly  artificial."  And  Sir  John  Herschell  asserts 
that  "  every  molecule  or  atom  of  matter  has  all  the 
characters  of  a  manufactured  article ;"  consequently,  no 
atom  can  have  been  eternal.  Hence  appears  the  falsity 
and  baselessness  of  the  Pantheistic  theory,  that  would 
substitute  an  eternal  nature  for  an  eternal  God — 
every  particle  of  matter  in  the  universe,  in  clear  and 
emphatic  voice,  pronouncing  its  condemnation. 

But  to  insist  no  longer  on  these  refinements  of  sci- 
ence, interesting  and  conclusive  as  they  are,  and  to  deal 
only  with  what  the  eyes  of  all  can  see,  and  their  hands 


THE  BEGINNING.  29 

handle,  let  us  take  our  stand  on  the  granite  rode,  the 
basis  of  the  earth's  crust — even  this  is  a  compound, 
being  made  up  of  quartz,  felspar,  and  mica.  Whatever 
theory  we  may  adopt  to  account  for  its  origin,  granite 
must  have  preceded  stratified  rocks,  for  these,  as  is  evi- 
dent and  universally  admitted,  were  originally  formed 
out  of  its  pulverized  crystalline  particles;  and  stratified 
rocks  must  have  preceded  the  soil,  which  is  composed 
out  of  them  and  rests  upon  them;  and  the  soil  must 
have  preceded  vegetation,  for  this  grows  out  of  it;  and 
vegetation  must  have  preceded  animals,  as  these  subsist 
upon  it,  no  living  thing  being  capable  of  extracting  its 
food  directly  from  the  ground.  Hence,  all  animals,  all 
vegetation,  all  soils,  and  all  stratified  rocks  must  have 
had  a  beuinninf;; ;  for  each  of  these  has  derived  its  ex- 
istence  from  what  was  in  being  before  it.  It  plainly 
appears,  therefore,  that  the  Infidel's  eternal  series  of 
men,  of  animals,  of  plants,  etc.,  must  have  been  simpl} 
impossible. 

Geology  also  brings  from  the  depths  beneath  other 
testimonies,  strong  as  the  rocks,  that  the  whole  system 
of  visible  things  on  earth  had  its  beginning.  "  Every 
step  in  our  descent  through  the  solid  crust  of  the  globe," 
says  Dr.  John  Harris,  "is  suggestive  of  a  beginning; 
for  everything  speaks  of  derivation.  Each  rock  points 
downward  to  its  source,  and  we  can  trace  the  lineal 
extraction  of  each  successive  stratum."  And  Hugh 
Miller,  speaking  of  the  more  ancient  animal  organiza- 
tions, says  :  "  Each  of  the  extinct  groups,  we  find,  had 


30  THE   BEGINNING. 

a  beginning  and  an  end ;  there  is  not,  in  the  wide  do- 
main of  physical  science,  a  more  certain  fact;  and  every 
species  of  the  group  which  now  exists  had,  like  all  their 
predecessors  on  the  scene,  their  beginning  also.  The 
infinite  series  of  the  Atheists  of  former  times  can  have 
no  place  in  modern  science :  all  organic  existences,  recent 
or  extinct,  vegetable  or  animal,  have  had  their  beginning. 
There  was  a  time  when  they  were  not.  The  Geologist 
can  indicate  that  time,  if  not  by  years,  at  least  by 
periods,  and  show  what  its  relations  w^ere  to  the  periods 
that  went  before,  and  that  came  after." 

Astronomy,  likewise,  reads  to  us  from  the  heavens  a 
geometrical  demonstration  of  this  fundamental  truth. 
The  solar  system  is  a  magnificent  clock-work  of  unfail- 
ing perfection.  All  its  stupendous  parts  influence  and 
are  influenced  by  one  another,  yet  all  move  on  in  abso- 
lute harmony.  Every  orb  has  its  magnitude  set  off"  by 
a  scale,  its  materials  weighed  in  a  balance,  its  distance 
measured  by  a  line,  and  its  velocity  regulated  by  an  in- 
fallible law.  And  in  this  celestial  machinery  our 
planet  has  its  place,  fitting  therein  as  a  wheel  into  a 
wheel  in  the  works  of  a  chronometer.  A  mere  glance 
at  this  wonderful  system  instantly  lodges  a  conviction 
within  the  mind,  that  it  is  the  contrivance  of  infinite 
skill,  and  the  work  of  infinite  power,  and,  consequently, 
that  there  was  a  time  when  it  had  its  birth. 

Thus  the  investigations  of  modern  science,  at  what- 
ever point  of  the  horizon  commenced,  converge  and 
unite  in  the  grand  and  fundamental  truth,  that  "  In 


THE   BEGINNING.  3X 

THE    BEGINNING    GOD    CREATED    THE    HEAVEN     AND    THE 


EARTH." 


When — how  far  back  in  the  past — the  beginning 
was  is  not  stated,  neither  does  the  record  afford  any 
clue  by  which  this  can  be  ascertained.  For,  as  already 
stated,  this  verse  stands  as  an  independent  sentence, 
and  relates  a  creative  act  distinct  from,  and  long  prior 
to,  the  work  of  the  six  days.  The  sacred  historian,  in 
passing  from  the  event  announced  in  the  first  verse  to 
the  state  of  things  described  in  the  second,  passes  over 
a  period  of  indefinite,  and.  perhaps,  incalculable  length. 
Of  the  condition  of  our  planet  during  that  period,  what 
changes  or  revolutions  it  underwent,  nothing  is  said ; 
but  the  second  verse  describes  to  us  its  condition  imme- 
diately before  the  commencement  of  the  Adamic  crea- 
tion, the  history  of  which  begins  with  the  third  verse. 
And  it  will  be  proper  to  state  here,  that  this  is  no  new 
mode  of  interpretation,  or  a  suggestion  of  modem 
geology  with  a  view  to  harmonize  its  marvellous  dis- 
coveries with  holy  writ.  The  sacred  text  was  thus 
understood  by  the  early  fathers  of  the  church — by 
Justin  Martyr,  Basil,  Caesarius,  Origen  and  others.  Of 
the  same  view  in  later  days  were  Patrick,  Jennings  and 
Calvin,  all  of  whom  wrote  before  geology  was  known  as 
a  science.  They  arrived  at  this  view  of  the  inspired 
narrative  solely  on  Biblical  grounds;  and  now  the  reve- 
lations of  geology  go  to  prove  that  the  interpretation 
they  gave  is  correct. 

There  is,  therefore,  nothing  to  alarm  the  friend  of  the 


82  THE  BEGINNING. 

Bible  in  the  geological  announcement  that  the  earth 
may  have  existed  through  unmeasured  periods  before 
the  creation  of  man.  Geology  militates  not  against  the 
Scripture,  but  against  the  mistaken,  though  common, 
interpretation  put  upon  it.  The  Scripture  nowhere  un- 
dertakes to  inform  us  iclien  this  globe  was  brought  into 
existence;  it  simply  states  the  grand  and  important 
fact,  that  "in  the  beginning,"  whenever  that  was, 
"God  created  the  heaven  and  the  earth."  Between 
that  beginning  and  the  creation  of  man,  millions  of 
years,  or  even  millions  of  ages  may  have  elapsed,  during 
which  all  the  physical  changes  and  operations  described 
by  geology  were  going  on.  But  these,  like  the  rings  of 
Saturn,  or  the  satellites  of  Jupiter,  the  sacred  historian, 
without  saying  a  word,  or  dropping  a  hint,  passes  by,  as 
not  being  embraced  in  the  plan  or  connected  with  the 
object  of  the  inspired  word. 

As  the  Scripture  account  of  creation  does  not  inform 
us  at  what  time,  so  neither  does  it  in  what  form  the 
earth  was  at  first  created.  The  origin  of  our  globe  is 
involved  in  great  obscurity,  which  the  powers  of  the 
most  gifted  have  not  been  able  to  penetrate.  Some,  and 
among  them  are  men  equally  distinguished  for  their 
piety  and  science,  regard  it  as  by  no  means  an  irra- 
tional thought  to  suppose  that  in  the  beginning  the 
matter  now  composing  our  globe  existed  in  a  most  at- 
tenuated state,  and  floated  in  space  as  a  vast,  extended 
cloud,  and  this  gradually,  under  the  influence  of  gravi- 
tation, of  cohesive  force,  and  of  chemical  aggregation. 


THE   BEGINNING.  33 

moulded  into  the  form  of  a  sphere.  But  whether  this 
supposition  is  to  be  accepted  or  not,  certain  it  is,  that 
we  have  many  and  strong  evidences  to  believe  that  the 
earth,  at  a  later  period  of  its  history,  existed  in  a 
melted  state,  and  has  been  slowly  cooling  ever  since. 
Revolving  through  space,  where  the  temperature  is  not 
less  than  230°  below  Zero,  (Fahr.)  the  earth,  accord- 
ing to  the  laws  of  radiation,  must  have  been  all  along 
giving  out  and  parting  with  some  of  its  heat ;  conse- 
quently the  amount  of  its  heat  formerly  must  have  been 
greater  than  it  is  at  present ;  and  if  we  run  backward 
through  the  ages,  we  shall  ultimately  reach  a  period 
when  its  heat  must  have  been  sufficient  to  melt  all 
known  substances.  And  that  such  a  state  of  things 
actually  existed  seems  to  be  plainly  indicated  by  the 
igneous  character  of  the  primitive  rocks,  by  the  tropical 
climate  that  formerly  prevailed  in  high  latitudes, 
and  by  the  present  internal  heat  of  the  globe.  The 
spheroidal  figure  of  the  earth,  also,  being  exactly  such 
as  would  be  taken  by  a  fluid  mass  revolving  with  the 
velocity  of  the  earth,  confirms  this  conclusion. 

When  the  earth  was  in  its  molten  condition,  all  the 
water  now  contained  in  its  oceans,  lakes  and  rivers, 
must  have  existed  in  a  vastly  extended  atmosphere  of 
steam  around  it,  owing  to  its  intense  heat.  The  cooling 
process,  therefore,  went  on  slowly,  as  this  thick,  vapor- 
ous canopy  prevented  rapid  radiation.  At  length, 
however,  a  period  arrived  when  a  crust  was  formed 
over  the  melted  sphere.     This,  like   ice   on    agitated 


34  THE  BEGINNING. 

waters,  was,  doubtless,  heaved  and  ruptured  at  a 
thousand  points,  and  that,  perhaps,  a  thousand  times 
repeated.  But  gradually  the  undulating  surface  ac- 
quired greater  thickness  and  solidity,  and  became 
measurably  stable ;  and  in  process  of  time  its  tempera- 
ture was  so  far  reduced  as  to  admit  of  the  existence  of 
water  in  a  fluid  form.  Long,  however,  the  dark,  "  un- 
seen deep  must  have  literally  boiled  as  a  pot,  wildly 
tempested  from  below;  while  from  time  to  time  more 
deeply  seated  convulsions  upheaved  suddenly  to  the 
surface,  vast  tracts  of  semi-molten  rock,  soon  again  to 
disappear,  and  from  which  waves  of  bulk  enormous 
rolled  outward  to  meet  in  wild  conflict  with  the  giant 
waves  of  other  convulsions,  or  return  to  hiss  and  sputter 
against  the  intensely-heated  and  fast-foundering  mass, 
whose  violent  upheaval  had  first  elevated  them  and 
sent  them  abroad."*  Thus  cooling  and  consolidating, 
unmeasured  periods  passed  away ;  our  planet,  however, 
was  still  but  an  awful  and  tenantless  waste ;  darkness 
and  silence  reigned  universal ;  "  the  only  sound  which 
occasionally  broke  the  intense  stillness  being  the  voice 
of  subterranean  thunder ;  the  only  motion  (not  felt,  for 
there  was  none  to  feel  it)  an  earthquake ;  the  only  phe- 
nomenon a  molten  sea,  shot  up  from  the  fiery  gulf  be- 
low, to  lay  the  foundation  of  coming  islands,  or  to 
form  the  mighty  framework  of  some  future  conti- 
nent." t 

At  this  primeval  period  of  high  temperature,  seeth- 

*  Test,  of  R.,  p.  197.  \  Pre- Adamite  Earth,  p.  71. 


THE  BEGINNING.  35 

ing  oceans  and  steamy  atmosphere,  there  must  have 
fallen,  frequently,  torrents  of  rain,  of  which  aught  that 
we  now  behold  can  suggest  but  a  faint  idea,  and  which, 
doubtless,  formed  rivers  and  cataracts  far  surpassing 
our  Amazon  and  Niagara.  The  effect  of  thes^  rains  and 
flowing  tides,  and  high  temperature,  was  to  disintegrate 
and  grind  and  wear  the  granite  surface,  and  to  wash 
down  the  debris  from  higher  to  lower  localities,  or  to 
carry  them  into  the  beds  of  existing  seas  and  lakes,  to 
be  there  deposited  and  hardened  in  successive  layers ; 
and  thus  were  formed  the  first  stratified  rocks.  Mean- 
while, the  force  of  internal  fires  ever  and  anon  changed 
the  relative  level  of  the  surface ;  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean  was  uplieaved  into  high  table  lands,  or  mountain 
ridges,  as  the  former  plains  and  hills  sank  to  be  covered 
by  the  displaced  ocean ;  and  in  this  manner  new  con- 
tinents Avere  produced,  new  rivers  formed,  and  new  de- 
posits made.  Thus  the  internal  fires  fused  and  frac- 
tured and  lifted  the  granitic  rocks,  and  thus  the  never- 
wearied  water  washed  and  Avore  those  rocks  to  dust  and 
soil. 

At  length,  the  temperature  being  sufhciently  re- 
duced, and  an  adequate  amount  of  soil  formed  from  the 
washed  and  pulverized  rocks,  at  the  bidding  of  the 
Great  First  Cause,  such  vegetable  and  animal  organiza- 
tions as  could,  in  that  condition  of  the  globe,  maintain 
an  existence,  began  to  appear — first  in  the  sea,  and 
then  on  the  land.  As  these  respectively  ran  their 
appointed  periods  and  perished,   and   the   earth   con- 


36  THE  BEGINNING. 

tinued  to  imj^rove  in  soil  and  climate,  at  the  same 
Omnipotent  bidding,  other  and  higher  orders,  both  of 
vegetable  and  animal,  were  introduced  from  period  to 
period.  In  like  manner,  these  again  died  out,  to  be 
succeeded  by  others  still. 

In  this  way  the  face  of  the  earth  was  renewed  and 
destroyed,  peopled  and  repeopled,  times  without  num- 
ber. For  ages,  and  cycles  of  ages,  it  passed  through 
alternate  periods  of  upheaval  and  disruption,  and  of 
formation  and  repose — during  the  one,  the  loose  mate- 
rials worn  and  ground  by  the  elements  from  hill  and 
dale,  together  with  vegetable  and  animal  remains,  were 
continually  carried  and  deposited  at  the  bottoms  of 
seas  and  lakes,  where,  layer  after  layer,  they  became 
hardened  into  other  rocks,  amounting  to  hundreds,  and 
sometimes  to  thousands,  of  feet  in  thickness — during 
the  other,  these  were  again  in  vast  extents  heaved,  or 
ruptured,  or  tilted  into  various  positions.  Thus  all  the 
present  continents  and  islands  of  the  globe  have  been, 
for  vast  periods,  and  many  of  them  several  times,  at  the 
bottom  of  the  ocean,  while  the  regions  now  forming 
the  floor  of  the  deep,  formed  as  many  times  the  most 
elevated  portions  of  the  earth's  surface. 

While  these  mighty  periods  and  revolutions  were 
going  on,  a  vast  series  of  different  tribes  of  animals  and 
plants  successively  occupied  the  land  and  the  sea,  and 
of  which  the  variety,  multiplicity,  and  strangeness  ex- 
ceed by  far  everything  which  could  have  previously 
been  imagined.     But  neither  the  plan  nor  the  object 


THE  BEGINNING.  37 

of  the  writer  will  permit  him  to  notice  these  in  detail, 
as  brought  to  light  by  the  indefatigable  researches  of 
geologists.  We  may,  however,  for  the  sake  of  illustra- 
tion, glance  briefly  at  their  most  prominent  character- 
istics during  different  epochs  of  the  earth's  pre-historic 
existence. 

In  the  dim  obscurity  of  the  earliest  Cambrian  rocks, 
no  vegetation  clothed  the  scoriated  surface  of  the 
ground,  and  no  life  moved  in  the  deep,  dark  waters  of 
the  sea.  But  towards  the  close  of  this  system,  whose 
age  is  measured  by  the  slow  deposit  of  5,000  feet  forma- 
tion, we  find  that  the  commandment  has  gone  forth, 
and  the  sea  is  swarming  with  life ;  myriads  of  corals 
are  already  at  work  building  their  interminable  reefs 
and  barriers;  countless  multitudes  of  unsightly  trllo- 
bites  are  swimming  with  their  backs  downward,  and 
loolving  eagerly  for  their  prey;  brilliantly-colored 
crinoids  and  stone-flowers  gem  the  ocean  floor;  while 
over  them  and  among  them  roam  powerful  races  of  the 
nautilus  and  cuttle-fish,  terribly  armed,  and  inspiring 
dread  in  the  most  formidable  inhabitants  of  the  deep. 

Descending  now  over  the  immeasurable  period  of  the 
Silurian  system,  of  a  mile  and  a  half  thickness,  during 
which  hundreds  of  animal  species  ran  through  their  ai> 
pointed  cycle  of  generations  and  became  extinct,  we 
reach  the  Old  Red  Sandstone,  whose  formation  records 
the  Fish  Dynast y  ;  sharks,  rays,  etc.,  being  the  most 
marked  feature  of  this  period. 

Advancing   downward   still   with  the  flow  of  time 


Plants 


Cereals. 


Dicot.  Trees. 


Dioctyledons. 


Monocotyledons. 


Oymnogens. 


Acrogens. 


Thallogens. 


GENEALOGY    OF 
and 


.J^s  t   rertiaj^-i 


Fliocene 


i  I  iti-  C  .'?  (' 


^Ilo 


Loce  t\  (' 


t^^-f-ii-b  on-i'-fc-i-o-i-i-i 


i/^auJv^cri^ftr^Mn  csboriS: 


£= 


:r^E^SMW^'ai3r^^L^^ 


Annuals. 


MAN. 


Mammals. 


(Placent.) 


Mammals. 


Birds. 


Eeptiles. 


Fish. 


Mollusca. 
Articiilata. 
Badiata. 


THE  BEGINNING.  39 

through  unnumbered  ages,  \\q  arrive  at  the  epoch  of 
the  Coal  Measures,  in  which  we  find,  for  the  first 
time,  hirge  and  important  indications  of  land  vegeta- 
tion. The  dry  portions  of  the  earth's  surface,  during 
this  period,  abounded  in  rank  and  gorgeous  vegetable 
productions,  among  which  stood  conspicuously  the 
graceful  araucaria,  the  tall  and  spreading  lepidoden- 
d)'07i,  with  its  feathery  fronds,  the  huge  duh-mosses,  the 
elegant  sigiUaria,  the  strange  tree-ferns,  with  gigantic 
jnnes  and  Jirs,  "  all  begirt  with  creepers  and  parasitic 
plants,  climbing  to  the  topmost  branches  of  the  tallest 
among  them,  and  enlivening,  b}-  the  bright  and  vivid 
colors  of  their  flowers,  the  dark  and  gloomy  character  of 
the  great  masses  of  vegetation."*  These  primeval  forests, 
however,  so  far  as  known,  do  not  appear  to  have  ever 
echoed  to  the  voice  of  birds ;  nor  does  there  remain  an 
indication  that  a  quadruped  or  reptile  ever  roamed 
through  their  tangled  solitudes.  The  fossils  of  a  few 
insects,  indeed,  remain  to  testify  that  animal  life  was 
not  altogether  absent.  The  sea,  however,  was  now 
abundantly  peopled. 

Repeating  again  our  flight,  and  passing  by  the  ex- 
tended periods  of  the  Magnesian  Limestone,  we  next 
alidit  on  the  New  Red  Sandstone.  Other  races,  we 
now  see,  have  taken  possession  of  earth,  air,  and  water. 
Birds  now  track  the  sands  and  wade  the  shallows,  of  a 
bulk  three  times  that  of  a  modern  ostrich,  and  dracjoit- 
fiies  and  beetles  hum  through  the  air. 

*  Anstcd. 


40  THE   BE  a  IN  XING. 

Coming  to  what  has  been  named  the  Lias  formation, 
we  reach  the  Reptile  Dynastij.  These  formidable  crea- 
tures now  become  the  lords  and  t^Tants  of  creation — 
the  combatants  and  consumers  of  each  other.  Croco- 
diles and  lizards  and  gavials  everywhere  abound.  Huge, 
hat-lihe  reptiles,  vaster  than  the  fabled  dragons  of  old, 
are  flitting  through  the  air ;  ponderous  hatracliians,  or 
frogs,  large  as  a  rhinoceros,  are  dragging  their  un- 
wieldy bulk  along  the  sand;  fierce  and  enormous 
sharlcs  roam  and  reign  through  the  ocean ;  the  rapacious 
megcdausaurus,  taller  and  larger  than  the  bulkiest 
elephant,  here  and  there  is  crushing  his  resistless  way 
through  the  tangled  brakes ;  and  from  many  a  tepid 
bay  is  seen  the  frightful  ichtlujosaurus,  with  eyes  well- 
nigh  half  a  yard  in  diameter,  glaring  upon  its  unsus- 
pecting victim,  which,  whatever  its  size  or  strength, 
it  is  sure  to  prostrate  with  a  single  stroke  of  its  enor- 
mous tail,  and  engulf  at  a  single  mouthful  in  its  horrid 
jaws. 

Quitting  our  stand-point  once  more,  and  sailing  over 
the  thousands  of  years,  and  of  ages,  occujDied  in  deposit- 
ing the  vast  Oolitic  and  Chalk  formations,  we  come 
down  to  the  Tertiary  epoch,  and  take  one  more  glance 
at  our  globe  in  its  pre-Adamite  condition.  Between 
this  epoch  and  the  last,  terrible  and  oft-repeated  dis- 
turbances have  taken  place  in  the  relations  of  sea  and 
land  :  hence  every  living  species  that  formerly  occupied 
the  earth  has  disappeared.  Fishes  and  reptiles  still  ex- 
ist, but  they  are  far  inferior  to  those  of  former  periods. 


THE  BEGINNING.  41 

But  now  appears  a  mighty  race  of  quadrupeds.  Terrible 
aud  fierce  creatures  they  were.  Hyenas,  hears,  iigei-s, 
of  huge  proportions,  now  roamed  the  earth.  The 
elephant,  the  mammoth,  and  the  mastodon  also  traversed 
the  plains  and  forests,  even  in  far  northern  latitudes. 
Besides  these,  there  were  others  of  much  vaster  size 
than  any  now  extant.  The  Deinotherium  was  an 
elephant-like  creature,  but  twelve  feet  high  and  twenty 
feet  in  length,  and  robust  in  proportion,  with  two  enor- 
mous tusks  curving  downward  from  the  under  jaw. 
The  Megatherium,  as  its  name  implies,  was  a  brute  of 
stupendous  proportions;  the  monstrous  pillars  which 
supported  the  body  were  like  forest  trees,  and  were 
three  times  the  thickness  of  the  largest  elephant's  ;  the 
width  across  the  loins  was  about  six  feet.  The  print 
of  the  forefoot  was  about  a  yard  long,  and  twelve  inches 
wide ;  that  of  the  hind  foot  about  half  as  large  again. 
The  feet  were  furnished  with  claws  ten  inches  in  length, 
and  about  twelve  inches  in  circumference  at  the  root. 
Its  tail  was  five  or  six  feet  in  circumference.  Its  mode 
of  living  was  to  tear  up  large  trees  by  the  roots,  and 
strip  them  of  leaves  and  radicles.  In  motion  it  was 
very  slow ;  but  it  had  little  need  of  speed,  when,  for  de- 
fence against  its  enemies,  it  had  a  coat  of  mail  an  inch 
thick,  and  with  one  tread  of  its  foot,  or  one  lash  of  its 
tail,  it  could  kill  the  largest  puma  or  tiger. 

In  the  Post-Tertiary  period,  even  that  region 
of  the  globe  which  now  embraces  the  British  Islands, 
was    inhabited   l)y   huge    and   most    formidable  races 


42  THE  BEGINNING. 

of  animals,  of  which  Prof.  Owen  gives  the  following 
picture : 

"  Gigantic  elephants,  of  nearly  twice  the  bulk  of  the 
largest  individuals  that  now  exist  in  Ceylon  and  Africa, 
roamed  here  in  herds,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  abun- 
dance of  their  remains.  Two-horned  Rhinoceroses 
forced  their  way  through  the  ancient  forests,  or  wal- 
lowed in  the  swamps.  The  lakes  and  rivers  were 
tenanted  by  Hippopotamuses,  as  bulky  and  with  as 
formidable  tusks  as  those  of  Africa.  Three  kinds  of  wild 
oxen,  two  of  which  were  of  colossal  strength,  and  one 
of  these  maned  and  villous,  like  the  Bonassus,  found 
subsistence  in  the  plains."  During  this  period  vast  and 
wonderful  changes  were  wrought  in  the  surface  of  the 
earth ;  the  great  dynamical  agencies  of  the  globe  were 
in  intense  and  incessant  activity  over  the  broad  expan- 
sions of  sea  and  land,  as  if  hastening  to  completion  the 
great  terrestrial  structure. 

Geology  has  revealed  to  us  not  only  the  fact  that  our 
planet  was  occupied  by  a  long  succession  of  animal 
races,  such  as  we  have  now  glanced  at,  but  also  that 
these  were  introduced  in  an  ascending  order.  "  There 
is  a  manifest  progress  in  the  succession  of  beings  on  the 
surface  of  the  earth,"  says  Agassiz,  "  and  this  progress 
consists  in  an  increasing  similarity  to  the  living  fauna ; 
and  among  the  vertebrate  especially,  in  tlieir  increasing 
resemblance  to  man.  Man  was  the  end  toward  which 
all  the  animal  creation  tended,  from  the  first  appearance 
of  the  first  Silurian  fishes."     Man,  the  last  in  time,  but 


THE  BEGINNING.  43 

the  first  in  the  contempLatioii  of  the  Creator,  was  pre- 
ordained to  be  the  final  and  mast  perfect  product  of  this 
vast  and  magnificent  plan  of  terrestrial  creation. 

Geology  further  establishes  the  fact,  that  through- 
out these  pre- Adamite  periods,  there  was  also  a  pro- 
gressive preparation  of  the  globe  itself — of  its  atmos- 
phere and  climate,  soil  and  productions.  But  when  it 
had  reached  even  the  close  of  its  geological  history,  it 
was  not  yet  fully  prepared  for  the  reception  of  man ; 
for  still  it  lacked  many  things  essential  to  his  comfort, 
and  even  to  his  existence.  Down  to  the  last  of  the 
Post-tertiar}'^  deposits  there  has  been  discovered  no  fossil, 
or  certain  trace  of  a  fossil,  of  any  of  those  plants  which 
yield  wine,  or  oil,  or  bread,  or  perfume — none  of  those 
which  so  charm  us  with  the  beauty  of  their  colors  and 
the  richness  of  their  fragrance — none  of  the  cereals, 
wheat,  barley,  rye,  millet,  rice,  maize,  which  constitute 
our  staff  of  life.  These  were  to  be  among  the  produc- 
tions of  the  last  and  human  epoch  of  our  planet. 

We  have  now  given  an  outline  of  the  history  of  our 
globe  during  its  pre-Adamic  existence,  as  human  investi- 
gation has  been  able  to  decipher  it.  Striking  and 
startling  as  the  foregoing  statements  may  appear,  and 
differing  from  anything  which  the  imagination  of  man 
in  former  ages  conceived  of  the  history  of  our  world, 
still  they  are  solder  truths,  and  are  established  in  our 
day,  by  evidences  so  complete  and  undeniable,  as  to 
leave  no  doubt  whatever  of  their  realitv,  on  the  minds 
of  those,  who,  Avith   the  requisite  qualifications,  have 


44  THE   BEGINNING. 

studied  the  subject.  However,  neither  from  the  forma- 
tion of  the  rocks,  nor  from  the  fossil  remains  which 
they  contain,  can  we  form  any  definite  or  certain  cal- 
cuhition  as  to  the  actual  age  of  the  planet  upon  which 
we  live.  But  all  facts  and  indications  concur  in 
assigning  very  great  and  gigantic  periods  of  time,  as 
having  been  occupied  by  the  events  which  formed  its 
strata,  and  brought  them  into  their  present  condition. 
"There  is  nothing  which  at  all  goes  beyond  the  magni- 
tude which  observation  and  reasoning  suggest  for  geo- 
logical periods,  in  supposing  that  the  Tertiary  (or  latest) 
strata  occupied,  in  their  deposition  and  elevation,  a 
period  as  much  greater  than  the  period  of  human 
history,  as  the  solar  system  is  larger  than  the  earth  : — 
that  the  Secondary  strata  were  as  much  longer  than 
these,  in  their  formation,  as  the  nearest  fixed  star  is  more 
distant  than  the  sun  : — that  the  still  earlier  masses,  the 
Primary,  did,  in  their  production,  extend  through  a 
period  of  time  as  vast,  compared  with  the  Secondary 
period,  as  the  most  distant  nebula  is  remoter  than  the 
nearest  stars.  If  the  earth,  as  the  habitation  of  man, 
is  a  speck  in  the  midst  of  an  infinitj^  of  space,  the  earth, 
as  the  habitation  of  man,  is  also  a  speck  at  the  end  of 
an  infinity  of  time.  If  we  are  as  nothing  in  the  sur- 
rounding universe,  we  are  as  nothing  in  the  elapsed 
organic  antiquity,  during  which  the  earth  has  existed 
and  been  the  abode  of  life."  * 

*  Plurality  of  Worlds,  p.  123. 


THE   BEGINNING.  45 

REFLECTIONS. 

In  the  beginning — amazing  era !  The  words  carry 
back  the  mind,  awed  and  bewildered,  to  that  immeas- 
urably distant  and  dateless  period,  when  all  that  we 
now  behold,  and  all  that  now  exist,  were  not — when 
no  sun  illumined  the  voids  of  space,  no  moon  relieved 
the  darkness  of  the  night,  nor  a  star  twinkled  in  the 
heavens — when  time  had  not  concluded  or  commenced 
its  first  revolution — when  no  sound,  no  motion  had  ever 
broken  the  everlasting  silence — when  neither  mind  nor 
matter  was  to  be  found  in  all  the  dark  profound — when 
God  was  the  alone  existence !  Then,  even  then,  He 
was,  and  was  all  that  He  now  is,  in  wisdom,  and  power, 
and  love,  and  happiness !  Alone,  He  inhabited  the 
solitudes  of  eternity !  What  awe,  what  reverence  should 
such  thoughts  awaken  in  every  breast!  He  who  is  not 
inspired  with  sentiments  of  devotion  by  such  reflections 
as  these,  must  be  dead  to  what  chiefly  ennobles  all 
created  intelligences. 

The  scenes,  awful  and  sublime,  now  surveyed,  point 
us  to  the  Supreme  Being,  as  sitting  upon  "  the  throne, 
high  and  lifted  up,"  moving  all  things ;  but  remaining 
himself  unmoved  and  immovable,  directing  every  revo- 
lution of  the  vast  creation  ;  but  himself  affected  by  no 
progress  of  events,  by  no  lapse  of  time  ;  not  younger  nor 
more  vigorous  ten  thousand  ages  past,  nor  older  or  more 
faint  ten  thousand  ages  to  come  !  Immutable  in  essence 
and  attributes,  He  remains  the  same  "yesterday,  to- 


46  THE   BEGINNIJSG 

day,  and  forever."  When  mountains  rose  or  continents 
sank,  or  races  were  swejDt  away  and  perished,  He  was 
as  impassive  and  unmoved  as  when  but  a  sparrow  ex- 
pires, or  a  feather  falls  to  the  ground.  He  was  still  of 
one  mind,  and  still  His  mighty  plans,  undisturbed, 
moved  on.  Independent  of  all  created  existences,  He 
sits  at  the  head  of  the  universe,  unchanged  and  inca- 
pable of  change. 

In  the  geological  survey  now  taken,  we  discover  both 
a  proof  and  an  illustration  of  the  declaration,  "  known 
unto  God  are  all  His  works  from  the  beginning."  In 
the  Divine  mind  existed  the  universe,  in  all  its  magni- 
tude and  miimtise,  eternal  ages  before  the  utterance  of 
the  fivstjiat  of  creation.  In  His  book,  all  its  parts,  and 
periods,  and  motions  were  written,  when  as  yet  there 
was  none  of  them.  And  His  plan  was  perfect ;  it  neither 
needed  nor  received  the  shadow  of  a  change  in  the 
course  of  its  execution.  No  mistake  Avas  made,  no  de- 
lay occurred.  As  a  train  arriving  successively  at  the 
stations  along  a  line  of  road,  at  the  precise  minute 
marked  for  each  place  in  the  time  table,  so  the  earth, 
in  its  formation  process,  reached  its  several  stages  at 
the  epoch,  and  period  of  the  epoch,  marked  in  the  Di- 
vine plan  ;  so  that  the  successive  tribes  of  animals  and 
plants,  as  they  were  brought  forth,  found  the  earth, 
both  as  to  soil  and  climate,  ready  to  receive  and  support 
them.  The  Contriver  and  Builder  of  the  world  foresaw 
all  the  revolutions  which  the  course  of  ages  would  pro- 
duce, and  the  mighty  work  ever  advanced  infallibly 


THE  BEGINNING.  47 

and  without  interruption.  "  Look  on  it  when  He  would, 
He  found  it  arrived  at  that  stage  where  a  thousand  ages 
before  He  foresaw  it  would  be.  And  look  forward  to 
what  distant  age  He  might,  He  beheld  it  in  anticipation, 
already  there  arrived."  No  plan,  no  purpose  of  God, 
can  fail  of  its  accomplishment. 

In  these  scenes  of  ancient  creation,  we  behold  a 
striking  display  of  the  all-comprehending  wisdom  and 
universal  agency  of  God.  Here  we  witness  "  all  things 
working  together,"  through  the  course  of  ages,  to  further 
and  accomplish  His  purpose.  From  the  beginning,  the 
earth  Avas  designed  to  be  a  habitation  for  man ;  and  to 
fit  and  furnish  it  for  him,  all  the  revolutions  our  planet 
experienced,  all  the  transformations  through  which  it 
passed,  all  the  forces  and  influences  to  which  it  w^as 
subjected,  unitedly  and  unfailingly  conspired,  through 
all  the  long  epochs  of  its  preparation.  Every  volcano 
that  burned  or  belched  in  the  morning  of  time — every 
hurricane  that  swept  over  the  primeval  seas — every 
earthquake  that,  in  after  periods,  heaved  its  solid  crust 
— every  electric  shock  that  rent  the  clouds,  or  vibrated 
through  the  rocky  strata — were  made  under  the  guiding 
hand  of  the  Divine  Builder  to  work,  and  to  work  to- 
gether, toward  perfecting  this  terrestrial  abode.  Fires 
fused,  and  forests  flourished,  to  enrich  with  jirecious 
stores  its  everlasting  hills.  The  gigantic  races  that 
browsed  over  ancient  continents,  and  the  tiny  corals 
that  toiled  at  the  bottom  of  ancient  oceans,  were  alike 
called   forth   to   be   laborers   on    the  noble   structure. 


48  THE   BEGINNING. 

"Each  trilobite,  each  saurian,  and  every  one  of  the 
mammalia,  which  exist  now  in  the  fossil  state,  were 
small  laboratories  in  which  the  great  work  of  eternal 
change  was  carried  forward ;  and  under  the  compulsion 
of  the  strong  laws  of  creation,  they  were  made  ministers 
to  the  great  end  of  forming  a  world,  which  might  be 
fitting  for  the  presence  of  a  creature  endued  with  a 
spark  taken  from  the  celestial  flame  of  intellectual 
life."* 

*  Poetry  of  Science,  p.  264. 


Mt  ^\mtk  §mi 


The  earth  is  submerged  and  tenantless,  and  enieioped  in  thick  darkness. 


THE    CHAOTIC    PERIOD. 

Genesis  1  :  2. — And  the  earth  was  without  form,  and  void ;  and  dark- 
ness was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep :  and  the  Spirit  of  God  moved  upon 
the  face  of  the  waters. 

HE  inspired  historian,  having  introduced  his 
subject  with  the  subUme  announcement,  that "  In 
the  beginning  God  created  the  heaven  and  the 
earth,"  in  this  verse  describes  the  state  in 
which  our  globe  existed  immediately  prior  to  the 
commencement  of  the  Adamic  creation.  Between 
these  verses,  therefore,  as  has  been  set  forth  in  the  pre- 
ceding pages,  there  is  a  chasm  of  unnumbered  ages  in 
the  sacred  narrative.  Respecting  the  events  and  doings 
of  this  immense  interval,  the  Scripture  is  entirely  silent, 
as  they  did  not  relate  to  the  moral  history  of  our  race, 
or  come  within  the  design  of  Revelation.  This  missing 
chapter  in  the  history  of  our  planet  we  have  been  left 
to  supply  for  ourselves,  from  the  physical  monuments 
of  the  Divine  power  and  wisdom,  found  in  the  rocky 
crust  of  the  earth. 

The  condition  of  the  globe,  then,  immediately  before 
the  creation  of  man,  was  that  of  a  watery  waste,  deso- 
late and  wrapped  in  darkness.  Some  geologists,  how- 
ever, of  late,  have  questioned  this  fact ;  these  hold  tliat 

51 


52  THE    CHAOTIC   PERIOD. 

the  earth  could  not  have  been  in  such  a  state  at  that 
period — first,  because  they  have  not  been  able  to  dis- 
cover in  its  later  or  surface  deposits  any  certain  evi- 
dence of  such  a  chaos  ;  and,  secondly,  because  they  can 
detect  no  such  a  break  in  the  chain  of  fossil  vegetable 
and  animal  species  as  will  warrant  or  admit  this  suppo- 
sition. These  objections  are  urged,  and  have  force 
only  on  the  mistaken  hypothesis  that  this  verse  asserts 
a  state  of  things  in  which  "  the  sea,  the  earth,  and  the 
heaven,  were  a  rude  and  indigested  mass,  the  disagree- 
ing seeds  of  jarring  elements  confusedly  jumbled  to- 
gether in  the  same  heap,"*  in  which  no  trace  of  animal 
life,  or  of  vegetable  organism,  was  anywhere  to  be  found. 
But  the  sacred  text,  when  fairly  interpreted,  conveys 
no  such  idea  as  this.     Let  us  examine  it. 

The  original  words  tohu  vavohu,  rendered  in  the 
authorized  English  version,  "  without  form  and  void," 
in  the  Septuagint  or  Greek  version  are  translated 
"invisible  and  incomposed;"  and  in  the  Chaldee, 
"  desert  and  empty."  Bush,  in  his  Notes,  holds  that 
their  true  import  is  "dreariness  and  desolation."  It 
will  be  noticed  that  all  these  translations  happily  coin- 
cide, and  are  essentially  identical.  All  that  the 
passage,  then,  imports  is,  that  our  globe  at  this  period 
existed  as  a  watery  and  featureless  desolation,  enveloped 
in  darkness — a  condition  similar  to  what  it  had  repeat- 
edly passed  through  before,  in  the  course  of  its  eventful 
history. 

*  Ovid's  Meta. 


THE    CHAOTIC  PERIOD.  53 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  sacred  historian  says 
nothing  about  the  duration  of  this  submerged  and 
desolate  condition;  neither  do  his  words  offer  the 
slightest  intimation  from  which  it  can  be  inferred. 
That  it  was  an  iminejise  period,  is  wholly  a  gi'atuitous 
assumption — it  might  or  might  not  have  been  such. 
While  it  may  suit  the  views  and  help  the  arguments 
of  those  who  deny  a  chaotic  state  of  the  globe  at  this 
time,  to  speak  of  it  as  being  thousands  of  ages,  the 
language  here  employed  permits  us  with  equal  right 
and  consistency  to  suppose  that  it  might  not  have 
exceeded  a  thousand  days.  "  The  periods  of  disturb- 
ance on  the  globe,"  says  Hitchcock,  "  appear  to  have 
been  short,  compared  with  the  periods  of  repose  that  in- 
tervened." The  last  cataclysm  (the  Deluge)  through 
which  our  world  passed,  we  know,  was  brought  about, 
and  wholly  passed  away,  within  the  brief  period  of  a 
single  year. 

Nor,  again,  does  this  verse  or  any  of  those  that  fol- 
low, require  us  to  believe  that  all  life  in  the  waters,  at 
this  time,  must  have  been  extinct.  Multitudes  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  sea  passed  in  safety,  and  long  sur- 
vived even  the  earlier  and  more  tremendous  revolutions 
of  the  earth ;  and  at  no  period,  after  the  first  dawn  of 
animated  existence,  were  the  oceans  left  wholly  tenant- 
less.  For  anything  that  is  here  said  or  implied, 
various  tribes  of  fishes  might  have  continued  to  live 
and  propagate  their  kind  throughout  this  chaotic 
period,  though  utter  darkness  everywhere   prevailed  ; 


54  THE    CHAOTIC  PERIOD. 

for,  at  the  present  time,  as  under  the  ice  of  the  Polar 
Seas,  and  elsewhere,  fishes  live  in  darkness.  In  the 
great  Cave  of  Kentucky  we  find  that  fishes  have  lived 
and  thrived  and  multiplied  for  ages,  where  not  a  ray 
of  light  ever  reaches  their  gloomy  abodes.  To  those 
species  which  survived  the  tohu  vavohu  period,  many 
other  and  nobler  species  were  added,  indeed,  by  the 
fiat,  which,  with  vivifying  omnipotence,  passed  through 
all  the  deep  places  of  the  sea  on  the  morning  of  the 
fifth  day. 

Nor,  once  more,  is  it  said  or  implied  in  this  verse, 
that  even  the  whole  of  the  solid  ground  was  under 
water ;  the  language  used  does  not  necessarily  bind  us 
to  this  conclusion.  Portions  of  land,  such  as  lofty 
mountain  ranges,  and  even  parts  of  elevated  plateaus, 
like  those  of  central  Asia,  might  have  been,  doubtless 
were,  above  the  general  level  of  the  waters ;  so  that  it 
might  properly  and  truly  be  said,  "  the  earth  was 
standing  out  of  the  water,  and  in  the  water."'-'  Nor 
is  there  anything  in  the  Kecord  before  us,  or  in  the 
condition  of  things  described,  to  forbid  the  supposition 
that  vegetation,  together  with  certain  animals,  (such  as 
those  claimed  by  geologists  to  have  existed  long  ages 
before  man,)  might  have  survived  the  catastrophe  on 
these  unsuhmerged  portions  of  the  earth's  surface.  The 
more  dank  and  dense  vapors  arising  from  the  face  of 
the  agitated  deep,  and  shutting  out  the  light  of  the  sun, 
would  naturally  float  in  dark  and  heavy  folds  in  the 

*  2  Peter  3  :  5. 


THE    CUAOTIC  PERIOD.  55 

lowest  regions  of  the  atmosphere,  but  growing  thinner 
and  lighter  with  increasing  altitude ;  so  that  while 
darkness,  unmitigated  darkness,  was  upon  the  face  of 
the  waters  below,  the  elevated  mountain  tops  might 
have  been  relieved  by  a  degree  of  light  and  warmth 
from  the  sun,  w^hich  rendered  them,  in  many  latitudes, 
a  far  more  favorable  abode  to  life  than  are  the  present 
arctic  regions  with  their  intense  cold  and  months  of 
winter  darkness,  which  yet  are  the  chosen  homes  of 
many  species  of  living  creatures.  Among  all  its 
revolutions,  geology  records  no  catastrophe  that  swept 
away  all  living  creatures  at  a  stroke,  leaving  the  entire 
earth  tenantless ;  while  multitudes  were  often  destroyed, 
more  or  less  always  survived.  And  why  may  we  not 
suppose  the  same  of  this  last  catastrophe  ? 

Nor,  finally,  does  the  Mosaic  Record  state,  neither  is 
there  anything  in  the  discoveries  of  geology  to  decide. 
ilie  precise  way  in  which  the  globe  was  reduced  to  this 
chaotic  condition — w^hether  by  the  subsidence  of  the 
dry  land,  or  mainly  by  a  general  elevation  of  the  beds 
of  the  ancient  oceans.  It  might  have  been  by  the  one 
or  the  other ;  "  many  of  the  apparent  elevations  of  the 
land,"  says  Dana, "  may  have  been  due  to  the  deepening 
of  the  oceanic  basin;  and  some  of  the  apparent  subsi 
dences  of  the  land  may  have  been  caused  by  an  eleva- 
tion of  the  oceanic  basin."  If,  therefore,  this  chao^ 
was  brought  about  mainly  by  the  elevation  of  the  ocean 
floor,  thus  sending  abroad  its  waters  over  the  land ; 
and  if  the  gathering  together  of  those  waters,  in  order 


56  THE   CHAOTIC  PERIOD. 

to  make  the  land  again  appear  on  the  third  day,  was 
effected  mainly  by  the  sinking  of  the  ocean  floor — then 
the  surfaces  of  the  old  continents  have  remained  undis- 
turbed, and  their  relative  levels  and  respective  plains, 
elevations,  and  declivities  continue  as  they  were  of  old; 
so  that  the  sublime  pinnacles  of  the  Alps  and  the 
Ararat  stand  now  as  they  stood  in  the  midst  of  the 
former  creation,  and  the  Niagara  and  the  Colorado  flow 
to-day  along  the  same  rocky  channels  that  they  began 
to  scoop  out  numerous  ages  before  the  earth  had  been 
reduced  into  the  chaotic  state  here  described.  The 
foregoing  suppositions  are  in  perfect  harmony  with  the 
teachings  of  geology  ;*  and  the  generality  of  the  Mosaic 
statements,  when  fairly  considered,  will  be  found  entirely 
compatible  with  them  all. 

Let  us  now  glance  at  the  actual  physical  changes  that 
were  required  to  reduce  the  globe  into  the  submerged 
state  here  described.  Humboldt  has  estimated  the  mean 
elevation  of  Europe  at  671  feet;  of  Asia,  1151  feet;  of 
North  America,  748  feet;  of  South  America,  1132  feet; 
and  has  set  the  mean  elevation  of  all  the  continental 
lands  at  1008  feet.  If  the  high  mountain  ranges  were 
left  out  of  the  calculation,  this  mean,  as  is  obvious, 
would  be  greatly  reduced.  The  whole  north  of  Europe 
and  Asia  is  merely  a  boundless  plain ;  and  from  the 
f^hores  of  Holland,  through  Germany,  Russia,  the  Steppes 
of  the  Caspian  and  Siberia,  the  traveller  may  cross  the 
ancient  world  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  ocean,  a 

*  See  Hitchcock's  Elem.  of  Geol,,  p.  157. 


THE   CHAOTIC  PERIOD.  57 

distance  of  more  than  6000  miles,  without  encountering 
an  eminence  of  more  than  a  few  hundred  feet  high.  The 
extended  plains  of  the  Ganges  and  of  the  Euphrates 
have  but  a  small  elevation  above  the  ocean  level.  In 
Africa  also,  the  plains  of  Sahara  extend  2500  miles  in 
length,  by  1000  miles  in  breadth.  The  mean  elevation 
of  Australia  does  not  exceed  500  feet.  In  the  New 
World,  plains  form  two-thirds  of  the  entire  surface; 
almost  the  whole  East  of  it  runs  into  immense  plains, 
covering  it,  one  might  say,  from  pole  to  pole.  From 
the  Frozen  Ocean  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  over  an  extent 
of  nearly  2400  miles,  we  cross  only  insignificant  heights. 
From  the  llanos  of  the  Orinoco  to  the  banks  of  the 
La  Plata,  we  traverse  more  than  3000  miles  of  low 
plains,  slightly  interrupted  by  the  somewhat  more  ele- 
vated regions  of  western  Brazil;  they  are  prolonged 
even  to  the  pampas  of  Patagonia,  600  miles  further 
south.*  It  has  been  estimated  that  if  all  the  land  above 
the  present  water-level  were  transferred  into  the  ocean 
basins,  it  would  occupy  only  one-fortieth  'part  of  their 
capacity.  From  the  foregoing  facts,  it  is  obvious  that 
an  elevation  of  a  few  hundred  feet  only  of  the  present 
bed  of  the  ocean,  attended,  as  it  would  be,  by  a  corres- 
ponding depression  of  the  land,  would  reduce  all  the 
existing  continents  of  the  globe  into  a  few  irregular 
and  scattered  islands — would,  in  fact,  reduce  the  earth 
into  precisely  the  condition  described  in  the  verse  now 
under  consideration.  But  a  less  elevation  of  the  bottom 

*  See  Guy  of  3  Earth  and  Man. 


58  THE    CHAOTIC  PERIOD. 

of  the  seas  than  even  this,  by  considerable,  would  have 
sufficed  to  submerge  the  earth  at  the  commencement  of 
the  human  era :  for  the  oceans,  according  to  the  testi- 
mony of  geology,  have  been  constantly  growing  deeper, 
and  the  continents  higher,  ever  since. 

Having  premised  the  foregoing  facts,  we  are  now 
prejDared  to  consider  the  objections  urged  against  a 
chaotic  condition  of  the  globe,  at  the  period  in  question. 

Objection  1.  It  is  urged  that  the  earth's  surface 
affords  no  indication  of  a  pre-Adamite  chaos,  such  as  we 
speak  of  To  this  we  may  reply,  that  conclusions 
reached  through  mere  negative  evidences  are  generally 
of  a  doubtful  character.  The  heavens  to-night  may 
exhibit  no  traces  of  the  descent  of  a  meteoric  shower, 
but  that  does  not  prove  that  such  a  thing  did  not  hap- 
pen on  a  former  night.  The  same  may  be  true  of  the 
case  before  us.  That  watery  chaos  may  have  left  its 
marks,  doubtless  has,  at  a  thousand  points;  but  men 
looking  for  something  greater,  or  something  different, 
may  not  yet  have  learned  to  distinguish  them.  The 
inspired  account  before  us  does  not  require  us  to  suppose 
that  this  chaos,  like  some  of  the  tremendous  cataclysms 
of  the  earlier  epochs,  was  brought  about  by  sudden  or 
violent  paroxysms,  or  that  it  was  of  numerous  ages' 
continuance,  such  as  would  of  necessity  leave  lasting 
and  ineffaceable  marks  or  relics  behind  it ;  the  internal 
forces  of  the  earth  had  all  along  been  quieting  down, 
and  the  condition  of  the  globe  here  described  might 
have  been  the  result  of  a  slow  subsidence  of  the  land, 


TEMPLE  OF  JUPITER  AND  PERAPIS. 


60  THE    CHAOTIC   PERIOD. 

and  an  equally  slow  elevation,  at  the  same  time,  of  the 
beds  of  the  ancient  oceans;  so  that  its  surface  generally 
became  covered  with  water,  without  a  stratum  being 
overturned,  or  tilted  out  of  its  place.  Geology  teaches 
us,  that  the  process  of  both  elevation  and  depression 
often  goes  on  gradually  and  imperceptibly.  "There 
have  been  instances,"  says  Prof  Hitchcock,  "  of  quiet, 
gradual  elevation  without  catastrophe;  and  it  may  not 
be  possible,  in  all  cases,  to  find  evidence  of  any  great 
geological  disturbance  at  the  close  of  all  the  life  periods." 
Such  movements  in  the  earth's  crust  are  constantly 
taking  place  at  the  present  period. 

The  temple  of  Jupiter  Serapis,  at  Pozzuoli,  was  origi- 
nally built  at  the  level  of  the  sea.  Subsequently,  the 
ground  gradually  subsided  to  the  depth  of  21  feet,  and 
its  interior  became  a  lake.  At  length  the  land  gradu- 
ally rose  again,  until  the  pavement  once  more  stood  on 
a  level  with  the  sea.  Three  of  its  columns  are  now 
standing,  and  bear  clear  evidence  of  their  submergence; 
the  lower  12  feet  of  these  columns,  being  immersed 
in  mud,  remain  smooth,  but  for  9  feet  above  they  are 
penetrated  by  the  little  boring  shells  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean, and  remains  of  these  shells  were  found  in  their 
holes. 

On  several  parts  of  the  coasts  of  Britain  and  Ireland, 
the  voyager  can  look  down  through  the  clear  sea,  in 
dephts  to  which  the  tide  never  falls,  on  the  remains 
of  submerged  forests.  The  whole  mass  of  Scandinavia, 
an  extent  uf  1000  miles  from  north  to  south,  is  being 


THE    CHAOTIC    PERIOD.  (j]^ 

elevated  at  the  rate  of  from  two  to  four  feet  per  century. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  west  coast  of  Greenland,  for  a 
distance  of  600  miles,  has  been  sinking  for  ages ;  old 
buildings  and  islands  have  been  submerged;  and  the 
Moravian  settlers  have  had  to  put  down  new  poles  for 
their  boats,  and  the  old  ones  stand  as  silent  witnesses 
of  the  change  *  It  has  also  been  shown,  beyond  all 
question,  that  the  eastern  part  of  South  America  has 
been  raised,  in  the  most  quiet  manner,  without  disturbing 
the  horizontality  of  the  strata,  from  100  feet  to  1400 
feet,  over  an  extent  of  1200  miles,  since  the  Drift 
period.  With  such  facts,  then,  before  us,  where  is  the 
difficulty  in  admitting  and  believing  that  the  earth,  at 
the  period  in  question,  was  reduced  to  a  watery  chaos, 
and  then  restored,  tJiough  no  ruptured  strata,  or  hurled 
fossils,  or  ruined  mountains,  remain  to  prove  it?  "VVe 
find  a  distinguished  geologist,  while  denying  a  prc- 
Adamite  chaos,  in  laboring  to  establish  his  favorite 
theory  of  the  Noachian  deluge,  with  great  facility- 
depressing  the  surface  of  the  earth  by  millions  of  square 
miles,  and  bringing  in  the  waters  of  three  distant  seas 
to  overwhelm  it  to  the  depth  of  10,000  feet;  and  then 
with  equal  facility  drawing  off  the  mighty  ocean,  and 
elevating  the  whole  extent  to  its  former  level — and  all 
this,  as  he  represents,  without  leaving  behind  any  recog- 
nizable evidences  of  the  occurrence. f  Countenanced 
by  so  high  an  authority,  then,  as  Hugh  Miller,  why 
may  we  not  suppose  the  same  in  regard  to  this  primeval 

*  See  Lyell'a  Prin.  of  Geol.  f  Test,  of  Rocks,  page  358. 


02  TIIL    CHAOTIC    PERIOD. 

chaos?     If  the  absence  of  evidence  does  not  disprove 
the  one,  why  should  it  the  other  ? 

Objection  2.  It  is  argued  against  a  chaotic  condition 
of  the  globe,  at  the  period  immediately  preceding  man, 
that  certain  vegetable  productions,  such  as  the  Scotch- 
fir,  the  common  hirch,  the  Norwegian  sj^)ruce,  etc., 
flourished  in  times  long  anterior  to  the  human  race, 
and  that  these  flourish  still,  which  could  not  have  been 
the  case  had  such  a  chaos  intervened.  Admitting  this 
to  be  a  fact,  it  does  not  involve  our  position  in  the 
slightest  difficulty.  The  existence  of  such  trees,  and 
of  many  other  vegetable  productions,  might  have  been 
safely  conveyed  across  the  chaotic  period  hi  their  seeds, 
buried  deep  in  soil  or  mud ;  many  of  these  seeds,  after 
the  waters  had  been  withdrawn,  would,  under  suitable 
conditions,  in  any  region  of  the  globe,  sprout  and  grow 
as  successfully,  as  they  would  have  done  on  the  day 
they  fell  upon  the  ground.  The  longevity  of  seeds  may 
be  reckoned  among  the  greatest  marvels  of  creation. 
Grains  of  wheat,  after  having  lain  buried  with  mummies 
for  twenty-five  centuries,  when  moistened  in  the  soil 
and  warmed  by  the  sun,  have  germinated  and  repro- 
duced as  vigorously  as  if  they  had  been  the  product  of 
last  harvest.  Seeds  that  grew  long  ages  before  Adam 
woke  to  consciousness,  may  at  this  day  be  found  in  the 
ground,  possessing  their  original  vitality  undiminished 
and  uninjured.  A  few  years  since,  earth  was  brought 
up  in  England  from  a  depth  of  360  feet,  and  carefully 
covered  with   glass   to  prevent  the  possibility  of  any 


THE    CHAOTIC    PERIOD.  (53 

blown  or  floating  seeds  being  deposited  upon  it ;  yet,  in 
a  sliort  time,  plants  vegetated  from  it.  Indeed  alluvial 
and  diluvial  soils  appear  to  be  full  of  seeds  to  unknown 
depths,  the  produce  of  ages  long  gone  by,  and  which 
need  but  to  be  brought  to  the  surface,  to  sprout  and 
thrive,  as  if  they  had  but  yesterday  dropped  from  the 
parent  plant.  In  this  way,  therefore,  many  of  the 
plants  and  trees  of  the  old  earth  might  have  survived 
the  chaos;  and  some  of  them  might  have  sprung  up 
spontaneously  even  in  Eden,  among  the  more  perfect, 
more  valuable  and  beautiful  species,  that  were  then  for 
the  first  time  called  into  existence.  And  to  this  dis- 
tinction in  the  origin  of  the  present  vegetation  of  the 
earth,  perhaps,  refer  the  words — "  Every  plant  of  the 
field  before  it  was  in  the  earth,  and  every  herb  of  the 
field  before  it  grew."  * 

Objection  3.  It  is  contended  against  the  doctrine  of 
a  chaotic  state  of  the  globe  at  the  commencement  of 
the  human  period,  that  between  several  species  of 
animals  of  the  present  time,  and  those  of  the  former 
creation,  there  occurs  no  break ;  that  one  continuous 
chain  of  organic  existences  connects  the  modern  world 
with  the  pre-Adamite  world.  But  may  we  not  ask,  will 
this  chain  hold  good  throughout?  Has  it  been  proved 
that  all  the  links  have  actual  connection?  or,  are  there 
not  points  at  which  they  may  lie  simply  in  close  prox- 
imity? Is  there  no  room  for  honest  difference  of  opinion 
here?  We  think  there  is.    Hugh  Miller  tells  us,  "there 

*  Gen.  3  :  5. 


64  THE    CHAOTIC   PERIOD. 

may  be  portions  of  the  prophetic  pre- Adamite  past,  of 
as  doubtful  interpretation  at  the  present  time,  from  the 
imperfect  development  of  physical  science,  as  is  any 
portion  of  the  prophetic  future,  from  the  imperfect 
development  of  historic  events."  It  is  a  possible  thing, 
then,  that  the  links  may  be  very  similar,  and  may  be 
found  very  near  together,  and  yet  not  exactly  form  a 
chain.  The  destruction  of  the  plants  and  animals 
before  the  chaos  did  not  make  it  necessary  or  certain 
that  those  which  were  to  occupy  the  earth  after  it, 
should  be  all  different  from  them.  The  species  existing 
before  the  deluge  were  preserved  and  carried  forward 
to  repeople  the  earth  after  it  -,  so  certain  species  of  the 
old  earth,  as  already  indicated,*  might  have  been  pre- 
served on  the  mountain  tops,  to  prolong  their  existence 
through  the  era  of  man;  or,  the  Creator,  in  peopling 
the  new  earth,  might  have  reproduced  such  of  the 
species  of  the  bygone  world  as  were  most  suitable  to 
be  contemporaneous  with  man.  In  either  of  these 
ways,  perhaps  in  both,  the  fossil  remains  of  animals 
living  before  the  chaos,  and  the  fossil  remains  of 
the  same  animals  living  after  it,  may  be  found 
in  many  localities  lying  together,  and  that  so 
closely  and  so  mingled,  that  at  this  distance  of  time, 
they  may  appear  like  "  a  continuous  chain,"  while  in 
reality  between  their  life-times  may  have  intervened 
the  billows  and  the  darkness  of  the  chaos  here  de- 
scribed. 

*  See  p.  53. 


THE    CHAOTIC   PERIOD.  g5 

It  remains  yet  to  be  proved,  liowcver,  that  any  of  tlie 
living  and  fossil  species  are  identical.  Several  that 
were  once  considered  the  same,  have,  of  Late,  upon 
closer  and  more  careful  examination,  been  pronounced 
different.  "  The  number  of  species,"  says  one  of  the 
greatest  of  living  naturalists,  "  still  considered  identical 
in  several  successive  periods,  is  growing  smaller  and 
smaller,  in  proportion  as  they  are  more  closely  com- 
pared." Future  and  further  investigation,  therefore, 
may  do  away  "with  the  few  that  remain  ;  indeed,  even 
now,  "  eminent  naturalists,  among  whom  Agassiz  stands 
at  the  head,  are  of  the  opinion,  that  the  fossil  and  living 
species  are  not  in  any  case,  perhaps,  identical ;  but  only 
closely  related."*  The  horse,  the  ox,  the  deer,  the 
camel,  etc.,  of  the  former  creation,  were  of  a  larger  size 
than  the  living  species.f  So,  also,  were  the  beasts  of 
prey. J  The  " continuous  chain"  of  animal  existence, 
therefore,  has  not  yet  been  demonstrated;  consequently, 
the  objection  based  upon  it  against  the  chaotic  condi- 
tion of  the  globe,  at  the  period  in  question,  is  without 
force.  But  even  were  the  identity  of  species  fully 
established,  the  fact  might  be  accounted  for  in  perfect 
harmony  with  the  existence  of  a  chaos,  on  either  of  the 
suppositions  stated  in  the  preceding  paragraph. 

Having  examined  w'hat  has  been  urged  by  wa}^  of 
objection,  let  us  now  proceed  to  inquire  what  evidence 
of  a  positive  character  may  be  found  respecting  a 
chaos  on  the  eve  of  man's  creation. 

*  Hitchcock's  Elem.  of  Geol.,  p.  328.    f  lb.,  349.     +  Dana's  Gcol.,  p.  573. 
b 


66  THE    CHAOTIC   PERIOD. 

1.  That  the  earth  underwent  some  great  physical 
revolution  immediately  before  the  commencement  of 
the  human  age,  seems  to  be  strongly  indicated  by  the 
great  change  that  took  place  in  its  climate  about  that 
time.  Formerly,  the  general  temperature  was  much 
higher ;  the  character  of  both  animal  and  vegetable  fos- 
sils goes  to  show  that  a  tropical  climate  prevailed  even 
in  high  latitudes.  "  The  Terrace  epoch,"  says  Dana,  '*' be- 
longs, at  least  in  part,  to  man,  and  the  last  of  this  epoch 
— in  which  the  continents  were  raised  nearly  to  their 
present  level — again  cooled  down  the  earth,  and  ended 
in  introducing  approximately  the  existing  climates  of 
the  globe ;  and  the  extermination  of  the  cave  beast  of 
Europe,  and  other  Post-Tertiary  species,  may  have 
been  coincident  with  this  great  climatal  change."* 

2.  That  the  earth  existed  in  a  chaotic  condition  im- 
mediately previous  to  the  epoch  of  man,  is  further  indi- 
cated by  tlte  general  extinction  of  the  animal  species 
belonging  to  the  old  world,  which  took  place  at  that 
period.  "  Very  few  fishes,  reptiles,  or  birds  of  the 
present  era,"  says  the  author  just  quoted,  "are  yet 
known,  from  any  discovery  of  fossils,  to  have  existed  in 
the  Post-Tertiary."f  And  Hitchcock  bears  similar  tes- 
timony :  "  The  fossil  birds  and  mammals  of  the  alluvial 
period  belong  almost  exclusively  to  extinct  species,  and 
often  to  extinct  genera."^  In  the  Podrome  de  Paloion- 
tologie  it  is  stated,  that  "  between  the  termination  of 
the  Tertiary  period  and  the  commencement  of  the  hu- 

*  Manl.  ofGeol.,  pp.  554  and  567.         f  lb.,  576.        :  El.  of  Geol.,  p.  342. 


777^    CHAOTIC   PERIOD.  jjy 

man  period,  there  is  a  complete  break"  in  animal  exist- 
ence. Now,  how  are  we  to  account  for  this  general 
extinction  of  animated  creatures  at  this  period  ?  Let  a 
geologist  help  us  to  an  answer :  "  The  extermination  of 
species,"  writes  Dana,  "  was,  in  general,  due  to  catas- 
trophes." Now,  as  the  extermination  at  this  period 
was  general,  the  catastrophe  occasioning  it  must  have 
been  equally  general ;  and  this  is  precisely  the  state  of 
things  indicated  in  this  second  verse. 

3.  That  the  waters  of  our  globe  were  gathered  to- 
gether, and  their  bounds  much  contracted,  about  the 
beginning  of  the  human  period,  is  attested  by  many 
facts  of  recent  discovery.  Since  the  Post-Tertiary 
epoch,  a  vast  area  of  the  floor  of  the  Pacific,  measuring 
6,000  miles  in  length,  and  from  1,000  to  2,000  miles  in 
breadth,  has  been  depressed  thousands  of  feet;  200 
islands  have  disappeared  beneath  the  waters,  and  the 
whole  amount  of  subsidence  is  estimated  by  Dana  to 
be  no  less  than  G,000  feet.*  The  same  writer  men- 
tions facts  which  are  strong  testimony  that  just  about 
the  opening  of  the  age  of  man  there  was  a  great  subsi^ 
dence  also,  of  the  bed  of  the  Mediterranean. f  The  sea- 
beds  around  the  British  Islands,  likewise,  were  depressed 
about  the  same  period.  Similar  subsidences  in  other 
parts  are  also  mentioned  by  geological  authorities. 
Now,  as  the  Sacred  Record,  according  to  its  plain  and 
natural  sense,  declares  that  the  waters  which  covered 
the  earth  were,  at  this  time,  "  gathered  together,"  we 

*  Manl.  of  Geol.,  p.  587.  f  lb.,  734. 


63  THE    CHAOTIC    PERIOD. 

may,  with  reason,  believe  that  in  these  contemporaneous 
subsidences  we  have  the  result  of  the  Almighty  im- 
pulse that  attended  the  fiat,  "'Let  the  dry  land  ap- 
pear." 

4.  One  of  the  general  laws  established  by  geology  is, 
"  That  at  the  close  of  long  epochs,  there  were  nearly 
universal  extinctions,  followed  by  abundant  creations.'''"^ 
In  perfect  harmony  with  this  law,  there  was  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  human  period  a  magnificent  creation, 
both  of  plants  and  animals.  Than  this  there  is  not  a 
fact  in  the  whole  compass  of  geological  investigations 
better  attested.  The  present  species  of  the  horse,  rab- 
bit, bison,  peccary,  beaver,  musk-rat,  elk,  deer,  raccoon, 
opossum,  hog,  sheep,  dog  and  ox,  are  said  by  leading 
geological  authorities  to  date  from  the  Terrace  epoch, 
toward  the  close  of  which  man  appeared.^  "  The  most 
important  feature  of  the  alluvial  formation,"  writes 
Hitchcock,  "  was  the  introduction  of  man  near  the  close 
of  the  period,  and  of  numerous  species  both  of  animals 
and  plants,  much  better  adapted  to  his  wants  than  the 
analogous  races  of  earlier  times."J  Again  :  ^'  This  last 
creation  is  distinguished  from  all  that  preceded  it  on 
the  globe,  as  it  presents  by  far  the  fullest  and  most  per- 
fect fauna  and  flora." ||  "  The  creation  of  man,"  con- 
tinues the  same  author,  "  along  with  a  vast  number  of 
contemporaneous  species  of  a  higher  grade  than  the 
earth  had  before  seen,  and  forming  the  culmination  of 


*  Dana's  Manl.  of  Geol.,  p.  398.  f  See  Holmes  and  Leidy. 

X  Elem.  of  Geol.,  p.  334.  ||  lb.,  343. 


THE    CHAOTIC  PERIOD.  (j9 

organic  existence  on  the  globe,  is  the  most  niiirked  fea- 
ture of  geological  history,  and  marks  off  the  alluviui 
period  from  all  others."* 

Let  us  now  review  and  brin";  to2:ether  the  fo rejoin jr 
facts,  and  place  them  as  in  one  focus,  in  order  to  per- 
ceive their  full  force.  We  have  seen  that  the  second 
verse  of  the  Mosaic  account  of  creation  teaches  and  di- 
rects us  to  look  for  nothing  more  than  a  cataclysm,  or 
'general  deluge,  of  longer  or  shorter  duration — that 
geology  proves  that  such  a  catacljsm  might  have  taken 
place  without  leaving  behind  it,  in  the  earth's  surface, 
any  demonstrative  evidence  of  the  event,  and  that  the 
facts  urged  in  disproof  of  a  chaos  may  be  explained  in 
perfect  harmony  with  that  event.  AVe  have  also  seen 
that  it  is  the  teaching  of  geology,  that  early  in  the  Ter- 
race or  alluvial  period,  there  was  a  general  extermina- 
tion of  the  animal  races,  and  a  great  and  sudden  change 
in  the  climate,  such  as  a  cataclysm  would  naturally 
effect — that  just  about  the  close  of  that  period  there 
occurred  numerous  subsidences  of  the  ocean-beds,  while 
the  continents  were  raised  to  about  their  present  eleva- 
tion— that  just  about  that  time  was  introduced  the 
present  magnificent  vegetation,  vegetation  such  as  never 
adorned  the  globe  before — that  just  about  that  time 
were  created  the  noblest  and  most  perfect  races  of  ani- 
mals, which  now  occupy  the  face  of  the  earth — and, 
finally,  that  just  about  that  time  man  himself  was  cre- 
ated, and  walked  forth  in  the  image  of  his   Maker. 

*  lb.,  355. 


70  TUE    CHAOTIC    PERIOD. 

Now,  centemplatiiig  these  striking  events  in  and  by 
themselves,  and  as  all  taking  place  just  about  the  same 
time,  and  that  time  coinciding  with  the  commencement 
of  the  human  period — is  not  the  conviction  irresistibly 
forced  upon  us,  that  all  this  not  only  stands  in  perfect 
harmony  with  the  Inspired  Record,  but  is  powerfully 
corroborative  of  all  its  statements.  We  actually  have, 
in  the  foregoing  facts — facts  all  admitted  and  taught  by 
geologists — the  substance  of  all  that  the  literal  inter- 
jDretation  of  this  chapter  requires.  The  evidence  on  the 
face  of  the  earthy  so  far  as  it  has  been  investigated,  and 
the  testimony  of  the  AYord  of  God,  are  here  at  one. 
Here  is  entire  harmony  in  facts,  and  complete  coinci- 
dence both  in  time  and  order.  Stronger  corroborations, 
considering  the  source  from  whence  they  have  been  de- 
rived, together  with  the  length  of  time  which  has  since 
elapsed,  could  hardly  have  been  looked  for.  Hence  we 
firmly  believe,  certain  geological  authorities  to  the  con- 
trary notwithstanding,  that  at  the  beginning  of  the 
epoch  of  man,  the  earth  loas  loithout  form  and  void,  and 
dai'hness  was  upon  the  face  of  the  deep ;  and  that  this 
chaotic  condition  of  the  globe  was  immediately  followed 
by  the  creation  of  the  present  order  of  things,  just  as  re- 
lated in  this  chapter. 

The  forcG^oinG"  view  of  the  Pre-Adamite  chaos  is, 
moreover,  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  course  of  creation, 
as  revealed  by  geology,  during  the  preceding  epochs. 
This  submerged  condition  of  the  globe  was  but  one  of 
a  series  of  similar  catastrophes ;  and  the  creation  that 


THE    CHAOTIC    PERIOD.  7j 

followed  it  was  but  one  of  a  series  of  similar,  but  ever 
ascending,  creations.  And  as  the  plant  and  animal 
creations  of  former  periods,  in  every  instance,*  fol- 
lowed some  great  geological  disturbance,  which  had 
destroyed  those  occupying  the  earth  before ;  so  the 
Adaniic  creation  followed  the  chaos  which  had  swept 
away  the  animals  of  the  ancient  earth.  And,  as  through 
the  course  of  prior  revolutions,  the  organic  existences 
of  adjacent  periods  and  formations  were  ever  united 
by  a  less  or  greater  number  of  connecting  links;  so, 
in  the  ways  before  indicated,  representatives  of  the 
fishes,  and  plants,  and  beasts  of  the  Old  world  survived 
this  chaos  to  connect  them  with  the  new  and  higher 
order  of  creatures  in  the  era  of  man.  Thus,  as  had 
been  the  case  all  along  through  the  prior  epochs,  the 
old  and  the  new  creation  joined  and  dovetailed  into  one 
another,  in  the  sea  and  on  the  land,  among  plants  and 
among  animals. 

The  design  of  the  account  given  of  the  condition 
of  the  globe,  in  the  second  verse,  seems  to  be  to  prepare 
the  reader  for  the  description  which  follows  of  the  six 
days'  work,  Avhich  begins  at  the  tldrd  verse ;  for  it  both 
indicates  the  necessity  for  such  a  recreating  work,  by 
affirming  the  chaotic  state  of  the  earth ;  and  describes 
the  Spirit  of  God  as  already  hovering  over  the  chaos 
]}reparatory  to  it. 

And  the  earth  ivas  ivithout  form  and  void.  Bush 
would   translate    this   sentence,   "And  the  earth  had 

*  D'Orbigny. 


72  THE    CHAOTIC    PERIOD. 

hecome  without  form  and  void."  The  learned  and  judi- 
cious Dathe  renders  it,  "  Afterwards  the  earth  became 
waste  and  desolate."  Whichever  of  these  translations 
we  adopt,  the  idea  is  plainly  conveyed,  that  at  the 
period  immediately  preceding  the  Adamic  creation,  the 
earth  existed  as  the  submerged  ruin  of  an  anterior 
world,  a  condition  of  things,  as  already  observed, 
similar  to  what  had  before  repeatedly  taken  place. 

And  darkness  loas  ujpon  tJie  face  of  the  deep.  This 
darkness  Avas  the  result  of  the  chaotic  state  into  which 
the  earth  had  been  thrown.  The  commingling  of  land 
and  water — the  agitation  of  tides  and  currents,  and  of 
violent  and  frequent  tempests  attendant  upon  the 
change  of  climate — the  smoke  and  steam  of  submerged 
volcanos — the  warm  ground  of  the  old  continents 
beneath  the  waters,  together  with  subterranean  fires, 
and  perhaps  molten  lava  spreading  in  many  regions  in 
fields  along  the  bottom  of  the  seas — all  of  which, 
together  with  the  evaporation  of  the  sun  from  so  vast 
and  agitated  a  body  of  waters,  in  process  of  time, 
engendered  such  prodigious  masses  of  dense  vapors, 
forming  layer  upon  layer  of  "  closely  packed  and  dark- 
ling clouds,"  which  excluded  every  ray  of  light,  and 
thus  threw  a  pall  of  darkest  night  over  the  whole  sur- 
face of  the  turbid  and  tumultuous  deep  below. 

How  long  our  world  remained  in  this  chaotic  state, 
we  have  no  means  of  determining.  The  eventful  hour 
now,  however,  was  at  hand,  that  was  to  introduce  a 
series   of  re-creative  operations  which  were  to  advance 


THE    CHAOTIC   PERIOD.  73 

it  to  its  final  state  of  perfection,  and  to  fit  and  furnish 
it  as  a  suitable  and  happy  abode  for  intelligence,  devo- 
tion and  love. 

And  iliG  Spirit  of  God  moved  upon  the  face  of  the 
waters.  The  word  translated  "  moved  "  here,  in  He- 
brew lexicons,  is  rendered  "  fluttered  like  a  dove,"  and 
the  verse  might  have  been  translated.  And  the  Spirit 
of  God  continued  fluttering,  after  the  manner  of  a  dove, 
upon  the  face  of  the  waters.  What  effect  or  operation 
is  here  described  is  not  precisely  known.  When  the 
Spirit,  like  a  dove,  descended  at  the  waters  of  Jordan, 
it  was  in  attestation  of  the  Father's  complacency  in  his 
well-beloved  Son ;  so,  here,  perhaps,  the  chief  idea  in- 
tended to  be  conveyed  is,  that  the  Almighty  surveyed 
the  chaotic  earth  with  complacency,  as  the  theatre 
upon  which  he  was  about  to  disj^lay  his  glorious 
power,  and  wisdom,  and  goodness,  in  the  new  creation. 

REFLECTIONS. 

In  the  chaotic  condition  of  our  globe  at  this  period, 
we  may  see  a  striking  and  instructive  emblem  of  the 
present  disordered  state  of  the  moral  world.  At  this 
dismal  date,  how  strange,  how  mysterious  was  the 
aspect  of  our  planet — a  vast  heaving  deep,  a  boundless 
desolation,  all  wrapped  in  dread  and  impenetrable 
gloom !  How  different  from  everything  that,  before- 
liand,  we  would  have  expected  from  Infinite  Wisdom 
and  Infinite  Power !  Yet  not  less  strange  or  dismal 
has  been  the  aspect  of  the  world  of  mankind.     What 


74  THE    CHAOTIC    PERIOD. 

disorder  and  conflicts,  what  depravity  and  ignorance 
have  marked  our  race  through  every  period  of  its 
existence !  Its  history,  for  the  most  part,  has  been  a 
history  of  sin  and  its  fruits,  a  history  of  tyranny, 
slavery,  lust,  carnage  and  devastation,  in  every  region 
of  the  globe.  A  vast  preponderance  of  the  whole 
population  of  the  earth  has  been  lying  for  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  3-ears,  in  a  state  of  barbarism  and 
misery,  sunk  in  such  gross  ignorance  and  superstitions 
as  have  degraded  them  fir  below  the  rank  of  rational 
beings.  Man,  for  the  most  part,  appears  to  have  spent 
his  transient  existence  in  diffusing  the  miseries  which 
himself  has  been  doomed  to  suffer,  in  destroying  his 
fellow-creatures  for  gain,  in  deceiving  and  being  de- 
ceived, in  robbing  and  being  robbed.  *'  The  bulk  of 
mankind  have  been  nothing  more  than  a  crowd  of 
wretches,  equally  criminal  and  unfortunate."  And  if 
from  these  we  rise  to  the  remaining  fraction  of  the  race, 
who  may  be  deemed  more  fortunate,  because  more  en- 
lightened, Ave  still  encounter  scenes  scarcely  less  painful 
and  perplexing.  Not  to  speak  of  the  falsehood  and  in- 
justice, lust  and  pollution,  which  infest  all  ranks  and 
conditions ;  how  unaccountably  mysterious  are  many  of 
the  dispensations  of  heaven  itself!  Toil,  disappoint- 
ment, disease  and  sorrow,  constitute  the  lot  of  man  in 
his  most  favorable  circumstances.  The  lamentations 
of  the  unhappy  are  heard  on  every  side.  The  world 
is  truly  a  vale  of  tears.  And  this  painfully  m3'sterious 
aspect  of  the  world  has  ever  been  a  matter  of  wonder 


THE    CHAOTIC    PERIOD.  ^r 

to  the  good,  and  the  foundation  of  much  complaint  and 
skepticism  to  the  wicked.  But  the  condition  of  our 
globe  at  this  primeval  period  offers  a  suggestion  that 
may  be  of  profit  to  both. 

To  judge  of  the  wisdom  or  goodness  of  Divine  provi- 
dence from  the  present  aspect  of  the  world,  would  be 
as  if  a  spectator  of  the  earth,  in  its  confusion  and  dark, 
ness,  had  attempted  to  form  an  estimate  of  its  appear- 
ance when  finished  and  furnished  complete.  Who, 
looking  on  it  then,  would  have  supposed  that  the  beauty 
of  Eden  would  so  soon  stand  upon  its  surface,  with  all 
its  fair  and  enchanting  scenery  of  hill  and  vale,  groves 
and  meads  and  murmuring  streams,  the  happy  abode 
of  innocence  and  love  ?  So  of  the  moral  world  :  this 
also  is  now  in  what  may  be  called  its  chaotic  or  tratisi- 
tion  state.  To  us,  the  work  appears  but  in  its  prepara- 
tory or  incipient  stage.  We  see  only  the  beginnings 
of  things.  Providence  is  far  from  completing  its  plans. 
The  gospel  of  the  kingdom  has  not  yet  fulfilled  its 
mission  ;  mercy  and  grace  have  not  accomplished  their 
benignant  designs.  To  understand  and  appreciate 
the  symmetry  and  magnificence  of  the  rising  moral 
structure,  we  must  wait  till  it  is  completed.  The  same 
mighty  Hand  and  unerring  Wisdom  that  at  the 
beginning  reduced  to  harmony,  and  reared  to  beauty, 
the  confused  and  tumultuous  elements  of  nature,  will, 
in  the  fulness  of  time,  disembroil  the  plans  of  Provi- 
dence, and  justify  all  his  ways  with  man.  As  from 
the  primeval  chaos,  when  all  lay  in  darkness  without 


76  THE    CHAOTIC  PERIOD. 

form  and  void,  there  arose  the  world  in  its  paradisiacal 
form  and  fashion,  resplendent  with  the  light  of  the 
sun,  and  decked  with  all  the  beauties  of  nature ;  so  at 
last,  from  the  heavings  and  conflicts  of  this  moving  sea 
of  humanity,  there  shall  arise  a  fair  moral  system, 
complete  in  all  its  parts,  where  God  shall  be  seen  all 
in  all,  and  the  whole  intelligent  universe  admire  the 
beauty  of  his  moral  character,  and  the  grandeur  of  his 
sovereign  control.  As  the  mysterious  drama  of  our 
fallen  world  shall  close,  "  A  voice  shall  be  heard  from 
every  creature  which  is  in  heaven,  and  on  the  earth, 
and  under  the  earth,  saying,  Blessing,  and  honor,  and 
power,  and  glory,  be  to  Him  that  sitteth  upon  the 
throne!  Great  and  marvellous  are  thy  works,  Lord 
God  Almighty ;  just  and  true  are  all  tliy  ways,  thou 
King  of  saints." 


©k  ^jriit  Sag. 


The  dense  and  darkening  atmosphere  is  rarified^  and  Light  is  introduced. 


THE    FIRST   DAY. 

Gen.  1 :  3-5. — And  God  said,  Let  there  be  light ;  and  there  was  light. 
And  God  saw  the  light  that  it  was  good :  and  God  divided  the  light 
from  the  darl<ness.  And  God  called  the  light  Day,  and  the  darkness  he 
called  Night.     And  the  evening  and  the  morning  were  the  first  day. 

IT II  these  words  commences  the  history  of  the 
six  days  creations.  In  verse  first,  as  before 
^<^''^\^  ob.servcd,  the  inspired  Historian  announces  the 
absolute  origination  of  the  heaven  and  the  earth; 
in  the  second  verse,  he  describes  the  condition  of  our 
planet  innnediately  prior  to  the  Adamic  creation ;  and 
at  the  tliird  verse,  he  begins  the  account  of  the  six  days' 
work.  In  addition  to  the  reasons  already  given  in 
support  of  this  interpretation  of  the  sacred  text,  we 
may  here  observe,  that  the  history  of  each  of  the 
succeeding  days  begins  with  this  particular  and  set 
form  of  words,  '•  And  God  said,  Let,"  etc.  It  is  but 
natural,  therefore,  to  conclude  that  the  narration  of  the 
first  day's  work  begins  with  the  third  verse,  where  the 
same  formula  is  employed,  "  And  God  said.  Let  there 
be  light."  Here,  then,  Moses  enters  upon  the  details 
of  that  stupendous  process  which  perfected  the  earth 
as  a  habitation  for  man. 

The  dobe  havino-  been  thrown  into  a  state  of  con- 
fusion  and  desolation,  and  the  plants  and  animals  of 

79 


80  TUE  FIRST  DAY. 

the  former  epoch  having  been  destroyed  by  the  chaos, 
as  described  under  the  second  verse,  it  pleased  the  Cre- 
ator to  occupy  six  successive  days,  to  restore  and  fur- 
nish it,  as  the  dwelling-place  of  the  creature  he  was 
about  to  make  in  his  own  image.  Few  readers  need  be 
informed  that  the  theory  has  been  advanced  that  these 
days  are  not  literal  days,  but  immensely  long  periods. 
Much  ingenuity  and  learning  have  been  exercised  in 
attempts  to  make  the  Divine  Record  countenance  this 
idea.  While  we  regard  the  great  flxcts  of  geology  as 
being  established  by  proofs  second  only  to  the  mathe- 
matical demonstrations  of  astronomy,  yet  we  are  con- 
strained to  say,  that  the  method  pursued  to  establish 
this  interpretation  does  not  appear  to  us  to  be  plain  and 
fair  dealing  with  the  Word  of  God;  but  rather  a 
•'  torturing  of  the  Book  of  Life  out  of  its  proper  mean- 
ing." If  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis  can  be  made  to 
mean  what  these  theories  express,  other  portions  of 
Scripture  can,  with  equal  ease,  be  made  to  mean  almost 
anything  that  the  whim  of  man  may  desire,  or  his 
imagination  invent.  Here  the  point  to  be  decided  is, 
not  what  this  Scripture  can  be  made  to  mean,  but  what 
does  it  mean ;  what  idea  was  it  intended  to  convey  ? 
We  believe  that  it  means  literal  and  natural  days,  for 
the  following  reasons : 

■  1.  No  language  could  have  been  chosen  more  explicit, 
nor  any  terms  found  in  the  Hebrew  more  definite,  to 
express  literal  days,  than  those  here  employed.  There 
was  a  first  day,  a  second  day,  a  third  day,  etc.,  each 


THE  FIRST  DAY.  gj 

opening  and  closing  with  a  definite  evening  and  morn- 
ing— literally  4'endered,  There  was  evening,  there  was 
morning,  day  one ;  There  was  evening,  there  was  morn- 
ing, day  two,  etc. 

2.  Moses,  who  penned  the  record,  we  have  every 
reason  to  believe  understood  these  days,  and  meant  that 
his  readers  should  understand  them  as  literal  days ;  for 
we  "cannot  suppose  for  a  moment  that  he  ever  had  in 
his  mind  anything  like  the  ideas  suggested  by  modern 
geology. 

3.  God  himself  refers  to  them  as  literal  days  in  the 
commandment  given  from  Sinai,  "  Remember  the  Sab- 
bath day  to  keep  it  holy  ;  for  in  six  days  the  Lord  made 
heaven  and  earth,  the  sea,  and  all  that  in  them  is,  and 
rested  on  the  seventh  day."  No  impartial  mind  can 
read  these  words  and  come  to  any  other  conclusion  than 
that  the  six  days,  as  well  as  the  seventh,  were  literal 
days. 

4.  There  is  no  adequate  reason  for  thus  departing 
from  the  plain  and  natural  sense  of  the  record.  The 
view  we  have  taken  of  the  chaos,  under  the  second 
verse,  does  away  with  the  principal  difficulties,  which 
made  it  necessary,  as  some  have  thought,  to  adopt  the 
interpretation,  that  the  creative  days  were  so  many 
vast  periods.*  If  it  be  admitted,  (and  we  have  already 
seen  what  abundant  reasons  we  have  to  admit,)  that 
the  condition  of  the  earth  immediately  previous  to  the 
human  period  was  that  of  a  watery  chaos,  a  creation, 

*  See  pp.  58-64. 
6 


S2  THE   FIRST  BAY. 

and  such  a  creation  as  that  here  described,  must  have 
followed ;  for  the  present  races  of  plants  and  animals 
must  have  been  produced  since.  And  as  the  highest 
geological  authorities  lay  it  down  among  their  clearest 
and  best  established  deductions,  that  the  present  fiora 
and  fauna  (for  the  most  part  at  least)  were  produced  at 
the  commencement  of  the  human  period,  tlie  very  date 
to  which  Moses  assigns  their  creation — why  might  not 
that  creation,  then,  have  been  accomplished  in  six 
days  ?  Wherein  lies  the  difficulty  of  believing  this  ? 
In  other  words,  what  is  there  to  forbid  the  literal  in- 
terpretation of  this  record  ? 

On  the  first  day  it  was  said,  "  Let  there  be  light ;  and 
there  was  light."  Now,  which  is  the  more  natural  and 
consistent — to  suppose  that  this  fiat  was  followed  by 
instant  obedience  ?  or  by  obedience  that  was  slow  and 
tardy,  extending  through  an  indefinitely  long  epoch  ? 
Is  there  anything  improbable  or  unscientific  in  the 
idea,  that,  in  obedience  to  this  omnipotent  command,  as 
in  response  to  a  general  discharge  of  electricity,  the 
dense  and  darkening  vapors  which  enveloped  the  globe 
were  set  in  immediate  commotion,  dispersing,  precipi- 
tating, and  breaking  up,  5oas  to  permit  light  to  penetrate 
from  above  ? 

The  history  of  the  second  day  reads,  "  Let  there  be 
a  firmament  dividing  the  waters  from  the  waters,  and 
it  was  so."  That  is.  Let  there  be  established  over  the 
earth's  surface  a  clear  expanse,  with  the  vapors  col- 
lected  into   clouds,    and    floating,    in    appearance,    as 


THE  FIRST  DAY.  33 

another  ocean  over  head.  What  is  there  in  all  this  to 
forbid  our  believing  that,  as  soon  as  it  was  said,  it  was 
done,  and  that  in  the  day  God  commanded,  it  was  es- 
tablished ? 

On  the  third  day  the  fiat  went  forth,  "  Let  the  waters 
be  gathered  together,  and  let  the  dry  land  appear." 
Now,  as  has  been  shown,  a  comparatively  slight  depres- 
sion of  those  portions  of  the  earth's  surfice  forming  the 
beds  of  the  oceans  would  effect  all  that  is  here  im- 
ported ;  and  geology  teaches  us  that  such  subsidences 
had  before  taken  place,  sometimes  slowly,  and  some- 
times suddenly,  times  unnumbered ;  and  not  only  that, 
but  points  to  this  vert/  period  as  the  date  of  certain 
well-known  depressions.  The  literal  interpretation  of 
this  chapter,  however,  does  not  require  us  to  hold  that 
the  continents  and  islands  were  at  once  thoroughly 
drained,  and  covered  with  vegetation  throughout  their 
whole  length  and  breadth,  as  we  now  see  them ;  it  is 
sufficient  to  believe  that  such  tracts  of  them  were  made 
suitably  dry  on  this  day,  as  were  designed  by  the  Cre- 
ator to  receive  the  several  species  of  the  plants  about  to 
be  created;  while  the  process  of  draining  over  other 
vast  regions  might  have  gone  on  more  or  less  slowly 
long  after,  till  the  passing  waters  sank,  and  became,  for 
the  most  part,  confined,  as  of  old,  within  the  banks  of 
the  ancient  lakes  and  rivers.  On  these  drier  tracts  of 
land  were  implanted  species  of  the  new-created  vegeta- 
tion, of  a  nature  suited  to  their  respective  soils  and 
climates;   and  from  these,  as  so  many  centres,  they 


84  THE   FIRST  DAY. 

spread  in  every  direction,  till  the  surface  of  the  globe, 
generally,  was  covered  with  them.  Now,  what  is  there 
incredible  in  the  view  that  all  this  was  done  in  a  day? 
Nay,  we  ask,  what  has  there  ever  been  discovered  in 
the  sea,  or  on  the  land,  that  may  not  be  explained  in 
entire  harmony  with  it?  On  the  other  hand,  indeed, 
the  supposition  that  this  day  was  a  period  of  un- 
measured and  immeasurable  duration,  does  involve  us, 
among  other  serious  difficulties,  in  the  grave  one  of 
holding  that  herbs,  shrubs  and  trees  flourished  and 
blossomed,  and  matured  seeds  and  fruits  in  darkness, 
even  ages  before  tlie  sun  had  ever  once  slione  upon  the 
face  of  tlie  earth,  for  the  sun  did  not  appear  until  the 
fourth  period. 

On  the  fourth  day  "  God  made  " — that  is,  appointed, 
not  created — "  two  great  lights ;  the  greater  light  to 
rule  the  day,  and  the  lesser  light  to  rule  the  night ;" 
of  which  we  understand  the  meaning  to  be,  that  dark- 
ness having  long  enveloped  the  earth,  God  now  fully 
restored  the  rule  of  the  greater  light  over  the  day,  and 
that  of  the  lesser  over  the  night,  by  clearing  the  firma- 
ment on  this  day  into  a  pure  azure  sky,  so  as  to  disclose, 
for  the  first  time,  the  form  of  the  moon  in  her  bright- 
ness, and  the  oi'b  of  the  sun  in  his  unobscured  glory. 
And  here  w^e  ask,  again,  what  is  there  in  the  heavens 
above,  or  on  the  earth  beneath,  that  renders  it  in  any 
degree  improbable  that  this  clearing  of  the  firmament 
was  done  in  a  single  day  ? 

On  the  fifth  and  sixth  days,  the  sea   and  land  were 


THE    FIRST  DAY.  35 

peopled  with  living  creatures.  Now,  vhile  we  take 
the  record  in  its  literal  sense,  we  do  not  suppose  that 
animals  were  created  in  anything  like  the  vast  numbers 
we  see  at  present  occupying  the  earth,  the  air,  and  the 
water.  We  are  expressly  informed  that  the  human 
race  have  descended  from  a  single  pair,  Adam  and  Eve ; 
and  each  particular  species  of  birds,  beasts,  etc.,  now 
living,  however  numerous  it  may  have  become,  may 
have  proceeded  in  like  manner  from  a  single  pair. 
These  original  pairs,  we  may  suppose,  were  created  and 
placed  on  those  tracts  of  land  lying  in  climates,  and 
planted  with  vegetation  suitable  to  their  respective  na- 
tures ;  and  from  these  centres,  as  they  multiplied,  they 
spread  until  the  whole  earth  Avas  peopled.  And  we  ask, 
once  more,  what  is  there  in  all  the  domain  of  nature  to 
deter  us  from  believing  that  these  various  living  crea- 
tures, in  their  respective  localities,  were  thus  created  in 
one  day,  and  in  obedience  to  one  and  the  same  fiat  ? 
What  difficulty  is  removed,  or  what  advantage  is 
gained,  by  supposing  that  their  production  occupied  a 
period  of  unnumbered  ages?  Not  any.  We  say, 
then,  that  there  is  no  adequate  cause  or  reason  for 
thus  departing  from  the  plain  and  natural  meaning  of 
the  record. 

The  fnie  "theories"  and  beautiful  "visions"  of 
mighty  periods,  that  have  been  invented  to  relieve  us 
of  a  few  seeming  difficulties  connected  with  the  sacred 
history,  will  be  found,  without  exception,  when  duly 
studied,  to  involve  more  numerous  and  vastly  more  se- 


86  THE  FIRST  DAY. 

rious  fficulties,  so  far  as  the  Bible  is  concerned.  The 
remedies  proposed  are  worse  than  the  disease  they  are 
designed  to  remove.  By  forsaking  the  more  simple  and 
natural  interpretation  of  this  chapter,  nothing  is  gained, 
much  is  lost,  and  everything  is  hazarded.  These  inge- 
nious theories  may  have  been  wrought  out  from  praise- 
worthy motives,  and  may  have  been  presented  on  the 
altar  of  Revelation,  under  the  impression  that  they 
were  acceptable  offerings ;  but  the  Word  of  God  declines 
the  oblations,  and,  as  we  believe,  disclaims  the  neces- 
sity, and  disapproves  of  the  expedient. 

While  we  thus  hold  the  six  days  of  creation  to  be 
days  measured  by  so  many  revolutions  of  the  earth  on 
its  axis,  we  may,  at  the  same  time,  regard  the  works 
done  in  these  several  days  as  standing  rejyj'esentative  of 
corresponding  works  done  through  all  the  preceding 
epochs  of  our  planet's  history.  It  may  even  have  been 
the  Divine  intention  that  the  works  here  described  should 
thus  symbolize  all  the  operations  of  his  hands  that  had 
gone  before  on  the  earth ;  and  herein,  perhaiDs,  lies  the 
reason  why  no  account,  no  mention  of  former  creations, 
is  to  be  found  in  this  chapter.  For  one  event  to  stand, 
in  this  way,  representative  of  another,  is  not  uncommon 
in  the  Scriptures.  For  example,  the  passage  describing 
the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  in  judgment  against 
Jerusalem,  in  its  full  import,  passes  down  to  the  close 
of  time,  and  as  truly  describes  his  coming  on  the  clouds 
of  heaven  to  judge  the  world.  In  like  manner  the 
record  of  this  chapter  may,  in  its  representative  or  sym- 


THE  FIRST  DAY.  gy 

bolical  signification,  run  back  and  describe  the  doings 
of  the  Most  High  to  the  beginning  of  time.  Now,  ge- 
ology chiinis  that  there  have  been  numerous  and  suc- 
cessive creations;  that  new  and  higher  species  were 
repeatedly  introduced  at  distant  intervals.  "  Twenty- 
seven  times,"  says  D'Orbigny,  "  have  distinct  creations 
repeopled  all  the  earth  with  plants  and  animals."  The 
last  of  these  creations,  whatever  be  their  number,  by 
universal  consent,  was  the  Adamic,  or  that  which  took 
place  at  the  commencement  of  the  human  epoch.  Now, 
the  description  given  of  this  last  creation,  so  far  as  the 
Divine  wisdom,  power  and  goodness  were  concerned  in 
its  production,  is  a  description  of  all  the  others.  The 
words  are  perfectly  true  as  describing  the  last  creation, 
and  the  last  creation  is  equally  true  as  representing, 
those  that  went  before.  The  account  here  given  of  the 
last  elevation  of  the  dry  land  at  the  Divine  command,  is 
a  correct  and  truthful  representation  of  all  other  eleva- 
tions that  preceded  it.  The  description  given  of  the 
last  creation  of  fishes,  of  birds,  of  beasts,  is,  in  like 
manner,  a  true  and  correct  picture  of  all  similar  crea- 
tions of  fishes,  of  birds,  of  beasts,  that  had  before  taken 
place.  And  so  of  all  the  rest.  The  Mosaic  record, 
therefore,  taken  in  this  light,  is  a  true  and  real  history 
of  the  Avhole  creative  work  of  God  through  all  the 
epochs  from  the  beginning. 

While,  to  some,  as  we  have  just  seen,  six  natural 
days  seem  too  short  a  period  for  the  accomplishment  of 
the  great  work  of  creation,  others  there  have  ])ccn  to 


88  THE  FIRST  DAY. 

whom  this  space  appeared  too  long.  The  representation 
that  the  work  was  done  progressively,  and  not  instanta- 
neously, has  been  objected  to,  and  declared  unworthy  of 
God.  But  such  caviling  can  proceed  only  from  equal 
ignorance  and  unbelief  The  progressive  plan  was 
adopted,  not  to  relieve  God,  but  to  profit  man.  Had 
the  entire  Avork  of  creation  been  accomplished  in  one 
instant,  it  would  have  been  totally  incomprehensible, 
and  its  history  altogether  useless,  except  as  deciding 
the  point,  that  the  world  is  not  eternal.  In  that  case, 
the  first  verse  w^ould  have  contained  the  whole.  But 
how  much  more  interesting,  comprehensible,  and  de- 
lightful is  the  record  as  it  now  stands.  That  the  world 
was  made  by  successive  stages  detracts  nothing  from 
the  grandeur  of  the  operation,  or  from  the  glory  of  the 
Creator.  He  who  could  do  these  things  in  the  sublime 
manner  here  related,  could  have  done  them  in  any 
other  way  that  pleased  him.  The  history  of  creation, 
as  we  have  it  in  this  chapter,  is  the  noblest  history  that 
was  ever  written  by  the  pen  of  man.  No  history  has 
been  so  much  admired  b}^  critics,  even  from  the  time  of 
Longiims  to  the  present  day. 

And  God  said,  that  is,  God  willed.  We  are  not  to 
suppose  that  there  was  any  vocal  utterance.  "  God 
said  "  is  equivalent  to  God  willed.  "  His  speaking  is 
his  willing,  and  his  willing  is  his  doing." 

Let  there  he  light ;  and  there  was  light.  A  more  lit- 
eral translation  would  have  been.  Light,  be ;  and  light 
was.     This  sentence  has  always  been  admired  by  men 


TIIK    FIRST   DAY.  89 

of  literary  taste  as  one  of  surpassing  sublimity.  It  is 
to  be  observed,  however,  that  its  grandeur  lies  not  so 
much  in  the  words  as  in  the  majestic  idea.  God  speaks, 
and  it  is  done.  He  saitli.  Light,  be ;  and,  behold,  light 
is,  under  the  whole  heaven ! 

And  there  urns  light.  At  the  omnific  command,  the 
dense  and  impenetrable  barrier  of  watery  vapors,  which 
had  accumulated  and  rested  down  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth,  enshrouding  it  in  thick  darkness,  instantly  be- 
gan to  clear  away,  and  to  permit  the  rays  from  above 
to  penetrate  and  produce  da}* — not  a  day  of  unclouded 
brightness,  but  as  of  the  gray  morning — a  dark  and 
heavy,  and  sunless  day,  for  the  body  of  the  sun  did  not 
appear  until  the  fourth  day. 

And  God  saw  the  lir/ht  that  it  was  good — good  as  fully 
and  happily  answering  the  ends  for  which  it  was  at  first 
made,  and  was  now  reproduced. 

And  God  divided  the  light  from  the  darkness — that 
is,  appointed  to  each  its  j)lace  and  duration,  as  deter- 
mined by  the  revolution  of  the  earth  upon  its  axis. 

And  God  called  the  light  Day  ;  and  the  darhness  he 
called  Night.  Light  and  darkness  were  once  more  set- 
tled in  such  a  constant  succession,  that  distinct  names 
were  given  to  them. 

And  the  evening  and  the  morning  were  the  first  day. 
This  is  a  Hebrew  phrase  denoting  a  whole  day.  The 
evening  is  probably  mentioned  first,  because  darkness 
preceded  the  light.  On  the  ground  of  this  recorded 
order  of  things,  in  the   Sacred  Book,  the  Jews  reck- 


90  THE   FIRST  DA  Y. 

oncd   their  day  of  twenty-four  hours  from  evening  to 
evenino:. 

The  one  great  product  of  this  day,  then,  now  to  be 
illustrated,  is 

LIGHT. 

And  God  said,  Let  there  he  light ;  and  there  was  light. 

Of  all  the  elements  that  occupy  a  high  place,  and 
exert  an  important  influence,  in  the  great  laboratory 
of  the  universe,  Light  is  the  first  and  most  remarkable. 
This,  the  issue  of  the  first  fiat  of  creation,  presents  to 
the  inquiring  mind,  a  series  of  wonders  of  the  most 
sublime  character.  Over  all,  and  through  all,  it  spreads 
its  etherial  force,  and  manifests,  in  all  its  operations, 
powers  and  m^^steries  which  may  well  inspire  the  soul 
with  the  most  exalted  and  reverential  wonder. 

While  we  are  acquainted  with  many  of  the  laws  by 
which  light  is  governed,  its  essential  nature  is  unknown. 
Some  philosophers  suppose  that  it  is  an  emanation  of 
inconceivably  minute  particles  from  the  surfaces  of  lumi- 
nous bodies,  and  that  these  act  upon  the  retina  of  the 
eye,  as  odorous  particles  do  on  the  nerves  of  smell. 
Others  hold  that  it  is  the  production  of  unduIatio7is 
excited  in  a  subtle  ether  pervading  all  space,  which 
travel  onward  to  the  eye,  as  vibrations  in  the  atmos- 
phere do  to  the  ear.  Though  long  made  the  subject 
of  unwearied  study,  and  of  endlessly  varied  experiments, 
the  essential  nature  of  light  still  remains  a  myster3\ 


c 

i. 


THE  FIRST  DAY.  91 

In  the  record  before  us,  light  is  put  down  as  the  first 
production  in  the  creative  process.  Now  this  is  the 
natural  and  necessary  order  of  things,  for  the  existence 
of  light  was  a  prerequisite  to  all  that  was  to  follow — to 
the  functions  of  the  waters,  the  salubrity  of  the  atmos- 
phere, the  growth  of  vegetation,  and  the  welfare  of 
every  living  thing.  Hence  we  see  the  philosoiohic 
correctness  of  the  sacred  narrative. 

Light  is  the  very  life-blood  of  nature;  without  it 
every  material  organization  would  fade  and  perish. 
Where  the  influence  of  light  is  not,  there  death  and 
silence  hold  supreme  dominion.  Light  is  indispensable 
to  all  life ;  the  world  was  a  dead  chaos  before  its  crea- 
tion ;  and  mute  disorder  would  again  be  the  consequence 
of  its  annihilation.  Every  beauty  that  adorns,  every 
charm  which  spreads  itself  over  this  rolling  globe,  are 
directly  dependent  upon  its  radiations  and  luminous 
powers.  It  is  the  fountain  of  all  our  knowledge  of  the 
external  universe,  and  through  it  we  receive  all  the 
undefinable  pleasures  arising  from  the  features  of 
beauty,  the  grandeur  of  the  landscape,  and  the  glory  of 
the  heavens. 

Light  is  essential  to  the  vegetahJe  icorld.  Without  it 
not  a  plant,  not  a  grain  of  seed,  not  a  blade  of  grass, 
could  attain  its  designed  perfection.  It  is  true,  indeed, 
that  the  vegetative  process  will  go  on  in  some  sort,  and 
to  a  limited  extent,  even  in  absolute  darkness ;  but  light 
is  indispensable  to  the  vigor,  and  to  the  useful  and  or- 
namental properties,  of  plants.  When  deprived  of  light, 


92  THE  FIRST  DAY. 

all  plants  nearly  agree  in  the  qualities  of  their  juices; 
the  most  pungent  then  become  insipid,  the  most  fra- 
grant inodorous,  and  the  most  variegated  of  a  uniform 
whiteness ;  and  while  vegetation  that  grows  in  a  natural 
situation  Avill  hum  when  dry,  that  which  has  sprung  up 
in  a  dark  cellar  contains  nothing  inflammable.  We  see, 
then,  that  to  the  agency  of  light,  vegetation  owes  its 
taste,  its  smell,  its  color,  and  its  inflammabilit}^,  all  im- 
portant properties.  So  necessary  is  light  to  plants, 
that  many  of  them  wdll  spontaneously  throw  open 
wide  their  flowers,  and  even  exert  a  limited  power  of 
locomotion,  bending  towards  it,  in  order  to  catch  its 
vivifying  influences. 

Equally  important  is  light  to  animal  nature.  Ex- 
periments of  various  kinds  have  proved  this  in  reference 
to  inferior  creatures.  And  the  due  and  constant  influ- 
ences of  light  are  found  very  favorable  to  the  regular 
conformation  of  the  human  body,  and  to  the  vigorous 
development  of  the  mental  faculties.  Deformity  and 
idiocy  are  most  frequently  found,  and  frightful  diseases 
commit  their  most  terrible  ravages,  in  the  ill-lighted 
habitations  of  narrow  streets  and  northern  exposure, 
where  the  salutary  beams  of  light  seldom,  or  in  but 
scanty  measures,  shed  their  beneficial  influence.  A 
well-lighted  apartment,  and  one  commanding  a  south- 
ern view,  is  the  most  desirable,  because  the  most 
promising,  to  the  feeble  Invalid.  Reliable  statistics 
prove  that,  in  general,  the  chances  of  recovery  in  the 
well-lighted  wards  of  hospitals  are  four  to  one,  as  com- 


TEE  FIRST  DAY.  93 

pared  to  the  chances  in  dark  or  ill-lighted  wards. 
"  Light,"  says  Dr.  Child,  "  is  one  of  the  best  and  cheap, 
est  of  natnre's  tonics ;  and  nnless  it  be  habitually 
absorbed,  neither  animal  nor  vegetable  can  permanently 
prosper.  Hence  this  needful  medicament,  by  Divine 
arrangement,  is  poured  ont  in  daily  streams  upon  the 
face  of  the  whole  earth."  And  God  saio  the  llrjld  that 
it  loas  good. 

The  illustration  of  many  interesting  properties  of 
light  will  come  in  more  appropriately  under  the  fourth 
day,  on  which  the  great  orbs  of  light  were  ushered  in, 
which,  therefore,  we  defer  till  we  come  to  that  stage  of 
creation. 

REFLECTIONS. 

Analogies  between  the  material  and  moral  worlds 
are  always  traced  by  enlightened  piety  with  equal 
pleasure  and  profit ;  and  the  work  of  this  day  presents 
us  with  an  analogy  of  this  Idnd  full  of  interesting 
instruction. 

The  earth,  even  in  its  void  and  formless  condition, 
floated  and  revolved  in  an  ocean  of  light,  which  cease- 
lessly flowed  all  around  from  the  great  central  sun ;  but 
the  convulsions  Avhich  it  had  suffered — the  upheaving 
of  the  sea  and  the  submerging  of  the  land — had  wrapped 
it  in  so  dense  an  atmosphere  of  darkening  vapors,  that 
in  vain  the  descending  beams  struggled  to  penetrate. 
Not  a  ray  reached,  or  perhaps  approached,  its  watery 
surface ;  unmitigated  and  universal  darkness,  therefore. 


94  THE   FIRST  DAY. 

rested  upon  the  f\ice  of  the  deep.  This  condition  of 
the  material  globe  presents  us  with  a  true  emblem  of 
the  world  of  mankind,  previous  to  the  advent  of  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness.  All  here,  too,  was  lying  in 
moral  darkness  and  disorder;  the  whole  race  was 
wrapped  in  deep  spiritual  night.  The  great  enemy  of 
man,  Satan,  had  disturbed  all  the  moral  elements  of 
the  world — had,  by  the  disruptive  force  of  his  instiga- 
tions, everywhere  upheaved  and  broken  the  even  strata 
of  social  order  and  virtue ;  had  submerged  the  precepts 
of  the  Divine  Law  beneath  the  turbid  waters  of  igno- 
rance and  superstition ;  and  had  beclouded  all  correct 
knowledge  of  the  true  and  living  God  in  the  corrupt 
exhalations  of  idolatry  and  lust.  Placing  himself 
between  God  and  man,  like  the  impervious  clouds  of 
ancient  chaos,  the  great  foe  had  sought,  and  sought 
with  direful  success,  to  intercept  every  beam  from 
heaven ;  he  had  thrown  his  dark  and  hellish  shadow 
athwart  the  whole  globe,  and  the  gloom  of  his  presence 
had  fallen  like  the  pall  of  death  over  all  human  hope. 
No  scene  or  circumstance  in  the  history  of  our  planet, 
save  the  nirjht  of  primeval  chaos,  supplies  an  adequate 
emblem  of  the  state  of  mankind  at  this  time.  As  the 
brightest  meteor  in  the  midst  of  that  dank  and  palpa- 
ble darkness  would  have  been  invisible  at  the  distance 
of  a  few  fathoms :  so  found  the  Son  of  God  himself 
amid  the  moral  darkness  that  had  invested  the  earth. 
"  The  light  shineth  in  darkness,"  said  He,  "  but  the 
darkness  comprehendeth  it  not,"  admitteth  it  not.     So 


THE   FIRST  DAY.  96 

ignorant,  so  debased,  had  mankind  become,  that  they 
neither  nnderstood  his  instructions,  nor  appreciated  his 
character.  Here,  as  at  the  beginning,  was  darkness 
which  omnipotence  alone  could  dissipate. 

Again :  as  in  the  natural  so  in  the  moral  world,  the 
work  of  illumination  was  to  be  2^^'ogresslve.  Though 
light  was  introduced  upon  the  earth  on  the  first  day, 
yet  it  was  not  until  the  fourth  tliat  the  sun  looked 
down  from  an  unclouded  sky,  and  illumined  and 
animated  with  all  his  brilliancy  the  face  of  the  new 
creation.  And  such  appears  to  be  the  manner  decreed 
for  the  moral  enlightenment  of  the  world.  The  light 
of  truth  introduced  by  Jesus  Christ  was  not  to  effect 
the  complete  and  permanent  illumination  of  the  globe 
all  at  once,  but  was  ordained  to  grow  brighter  and 
brighter  unto  the  perfect  day — the  day  when  its  beams 
shall  encircle  and  embrace  the  earth,  and  when  He,  by 
his  spiritual  presence,  shall  reign  in  a  glorious  manner 
over  a  redeemed,  sanctified  and  happy  world  ;  our  fallen 
race  having  become  one  vast,  virtuous,  peaceful  family, 
and  our  distracted  earth  the  seat  of  one  grand,  triumph- 
ant, and  adoring  assembly ! 

Bright  and  blessed  prospect!  But  why  should  its 
consummation  be  so  long  delayed?  Why  did  not  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  complete  at  once  the  work  of 
illumination  in  our  benighted  world?  Such  questions 
are  not  for  us,  the  creatures  of  a  day.  With  equal 
propriety  we  might  ask.  Why  did  not  God  bring  forth 
the  sun  in  his  unobscured  splendor  on  the  morning  of 


96  THE   FIRST  DAY. 

the  first  day  ?  or,  why  was  our  planet  left  without  a 
human  tenant  through  all  the  vast  periods  of  the  pre- 
Adamite  earth  ?  "  Even  so  Father,  for  so  it  seemed 
good  in  thy  sight." — Happy  he,  who,  amid  all  the  con- 
fusion of  the  world  and  the  mystery  of  providence,  is 
able  to  keep  his  eye  and  faith  on  Him,  who  is  at  the 
centre  of  all  the  movements  of  the  universe,  and  work- 
eth  all  things  after  the  counsels  of  his  own  will. 


Wixt  ^mwi  §^, 


The  Firmament  nuith  its  properties  and  funaions  is  established. 


.^. 


THE    SECOND    DAY. 

Genesis  1  :  6-8. — And  God  said,  Let  there  be  a  firmament  in  the  midst 
of  the  waters,  and  let  it  divide  the  waters  from  the  waters.  And  God 
made  tiie  firmament,  and  divided  the  waters  whicli  were  under  the  firma- 
ment from  tlie  waters  which  Mere  above  the  firmament :  and  it  was  so. 
And  God  called  the  firmament  Heaven  :  and  the  evening  and  the  morning 
were  the  second  day. 

UCH  is  the  brief  history  given  us  of  the  great 
'^%  work  of  the  second  day;  no  particulars,  no  de- 
tails are  presented.  We  are  favored  only  with 
the  naked  fact ;  that  fact,  however,  brings  before 
us  for  our  study  a  series  of  phenomena  of  the  most  im- 
portant and  interesting  character. 

Let  there  he  a  firmament.  The  meaning  of  the  He- 
brew word  here  translated  "  firmament,"  is  expansion, 
attenuation,  elasticity,  out-spreading,  which  are  all 
terms  expressive  of  the  properties  of  the  atmosphere. 
By  firmament,  therefore,  we  are  to  understand,  not  the 
starry  heavens,  but  the  whole  mass  of  fluids,  consisting 
of  air,  vapors,  electricity  and  other  matters,  which  im- 
mediately encompass  the  earth. 

And  divided  the  waters  which  were  under  the  firma- 
ment from  the  waters  which  were  above  the  firmament. 
At  the  Almighty  word,  the  vast  shroud  of  vapors  which 
still  hung  over  the  face  of  the  globe,  was  divided  -,  part 

99 


100  THE  SECOND  DAY. 

was  condensed,  and  fell  in  the  form  of  rain  to  the  waters 
that  covered  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  and  part  was  rari- 
fied,  and  ascended  far  above,  forming  clouds.  And 
there  "  in  the  higher  strata  of  the  atmosphere,  they  lay, 
thick  and  manifold — an  upper  sea  of  great  waves,  sepa- 
rated from  those  beneath  by  the  transparent  firmament, 
and,  like  them,  too,  impelled  in  rolling  masses  by 
the  wind."*  Thus  were  the  waters  divided  from  the 
waters. 

And  God  called  the  firmament  Heaven.  "  Heaven," 
therefore,  is  of  the  same  import  as  "firmament,"  and 
does  not  include  the  region  of  the  stars,  but  that  of  the 
circumambient  atmosphere  only. 

And  the  evening  and  the  morning  were  the  second  day. 
The  earth  accomplished  another  revolution  on  its  axis 
since  the  great  work  began. 

From  the  foregoing  exposition,  it  will  be  seen  that 
this  Day  brings  before  us,  for  illustration,  the  various 
phenomena  of  the  atmosphere — its  mass  and  composi- 
tion, its  currents,  its  evaporating  function,  its  electricity, 
its  formation  of  snow  and  hail,  and  its  office  as  a  me- 
dium of  communication — all  subjects  rich  in  exhibitions 
of  the  wisdom,  power  and  goodness  of  the  Great  Archi- 
tect of  nature. 

*  Hugh  Miller.  ' 


Tin-:  SKCOXD  bay.  lOi 

THE   ATMOSPHERE. 

And  God  said,  Let  there  be  a  firmament. 

The  atmosphere,  like  an  ocean,  overlies  the  whole 
surface  of  the  earth ;  in  fact,  it  is  an  ocean ;  and  it  is 
literally  true,  that,  like  crabs  and  lobsters,  we  live  and 
move  and  spend  our  days  at  the  bottom  of  a  sea — an 
aerial  sea.  This  atmospheric  ocean  rises  far  above  us, 
and,  like  that  of  waters,  has  its  waves,  its  currents,  and 
its  tides.  It  is  found  to  grow  more  rarified,  as  well  as 
colder,  as  we  ascend  towards  its  upper  limit,  which  is 
supposed  to  be  about  forty-five  miles  above  the  level  of 
the  sea.  Barometrical  observations,  however,  show 
that  on  ascending  to  the  height  of  three  and  a  half 
miles,  (nearly  that  of  Cotopaxi,)  we  leave  behind  us,  by 
weight,  more  than  one-half  the  whole  mass  of  the  at- 
mosphere. And  from  the  experience  of  aeronauts,  it  is 
believed  that  there  is  no  such  air  as  man  can  breathe  at 
an  elevation  of  eight  miles ;  probably  death  would  be 
the  certain  consequence  of  exceeding  seven,  though 
some,  of  late,  at  great  risk  and  suffering,  have  ascended 
to  nearly  that  height.  On  the  summit  of  Mount  Blanc, 
which  is  a  trifle  under  three  miles,  the  sensations  of 
those  who  make  the  ascent  are  very  painful,  owing  to 
the  levity  of  the  air;  the  flesh  puffs  out,  the  head  is 
oppressed,  the  respiration  is  difiicult,  and  the  face  be- 
comes livid ;  whilst  the  temperature  is  cold  almost  past 
endurance.     At  an    elevation  of  fifty  miles  from  the 


102  THE   SECOND  DAY. 

earth's  surface,  the  cold  is  calculated  to  bo  132°  below 
Zero,  Fahr. 

This  ocean  of  air,  like  that  of  water,  has  also  its 
iceight  and  pressure.  People,  in  general,  are  not  aware, 
because  they  are  not  conscious,  of  any  weight  resting 
upon  them  from  the  atmosphere ;  yet  reliable  experi- 
ments prove  that  at  the  sea  level  it  presses  with  a  force 
equal  to  14 1  pounds  on  every  square  inch,  or  2,100 
pounds  on  every  square  foot,  or  58,611,548,160  pounds 
OQ  every  square  mile ;  or  on  the  whole  surface  of  the 
earth  with  a  weight  equal  to  that  of  a  solid  globe  of 
lead  60  miles  in  diameter !  How  few  reflect  that  they 
live  under  an  ocean  of  such  stupendous  weight !  But 
to  bring  this  fact  more  sensibly  before  the  mind,  we  may 
state  that  the  atmospheric  pressure  on  the  whole  sur- 
face of  a  medium-sized  man  is  no  less  than  14  tons — 
a  weight  that  would  instantly  crush  him,  as  hollow  ves- 
sels collapse  when  sunk  deep  in  the  ocean,  but  for  the 
elasticity  and  equal  jDressure  of  the  air  on  every  part 
without,  and  the  counterbalancing  jDressure  and  elasticity 
of  the  air  within. 

The  air  encompassing  the  earth  is  a  compound  sub- 
stance, made  up  of  two  gases,  mixed  in  the  jDroportion 
of  twenty-one  parts  of  oxygen  to  seventj'-nine  j)arts  of 
nitrogen,  by  measure ;  mixed  with  these  is  a  small  pro- 
portion of  carbonic  acid  gas,  which  docs  not  exceed  one 
two-thousandth  part  of  the  whole  volume  of  the  atmos- 
phere. Whether  the  air  is  taken  from  the  greatest 
depths,  or  the  most  exalted  heights  which  man  has  ever 


THE  SECOND   DAY.  103 

reached,  this  proportion  of  the  ox}gen  and  nitrogen 
gases  is  maintained  invariably.  The  air  on  the  summit 
of  Chimborazo,  or  on  the  arid  phains  of  Arabia,  or  on  the 
pestilential  Delta  of  the  Niger,  gives  the  same  proportion 
of  these  gases  as  we  find  in  that  of  the  most  temperate 
and  salubrious  countries  of  the  globe.  Considering  the 
vast  and  varied  exhalations  that  constantly  ascend  from 
sea  and  land,  together  with  the  incessant  agitation  of 
winds  and  tempests,  this  stands  before  us  as  a  most  as- 
tonishing fact,  indeed !  But  it  is  not  more  wonderful 
than  it  is  important.  No  possil^le  change  could  be  made 
in  the  composition  of  the  air,  without  rendering  it  in- 
jurious both  to  animal  and  vegetable  life.  If  the  quan- 
tity of  nitrogen  were  but  a  little  increased,  all  the  vital 
functions  of  man  would  be  performed  with  difficulty, 
pain  and  slowness,  and  the  pendulum  of  life  would  soon 
come  to  a  stand.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  proportion 
of  oxygen  were  increased,  all  the  processes  of  life  would 
be  quickened  into  those  of  a  fever,  and  the  animal 
fabric  would  soon  be  destroyed,  as  it  were,  by  its  own 
fires.  Again,  if,  instead  of  the  present  proportions, 
these  gases  were  mixed,  two  parts  of  nitrogen  to  one  of 
oxygen,  the  result  would  be  luiroiis  oxide,  to  breathe 
which  for  ten  minutes  would  convert  the  whole  human 
race  into  so  many  intoxicated  maniacs,  and  the  earth 
into  one  vast  Bedlam  or  Pandemonium.  Or,  again,  if 
two  parts  of  oxygen  and  two  parts  of  nitrogen  were  the 
proportions,  the  mixture  would  be  nitric  oxide,  which 
is  of  so  irritating   a  nature,  that  the   glottis   contracts 


104  THE  SECOND  DAY. 

spasmodically  when  any  attempt  is  made  to  breathe  it. 
Or,  once  more,  if  the  quantity  of  oxygen  be  still  in- 
creased over  the  last-named  proportion,  we  have  per- 
oxide of  7iitrogen,  which  is  still  more  fatal  to  all  living 
organization.  Lastly,  if  five  parts  of  oxygen  were 
united  with  two  of  nitrogen,  the  mixture  would  be 
none  other  than  aqua  fortis,  whose  destructive  proper- 
ties are  well  known  to  all.  We  see,  then,  that  out  of  a 
thousand  possible  proportions,  one  only  is  suitable  to  the 
nature  of  man  and  beast,  and  that  one  has  been  adopted ! 
Equal  wisdom  and  goodness  are  displayed  in  the  rela- 
tive gravity  or  iveight  given  to  these  gases.  Oxygen 
is  the  principle  that  sustains  life  and  combustion  ;  nitro- 
gen is  incapable  of  supporting  either.  Immersed  in 
pure  nitrogen,  both  life  and  flame  are  instantly  extin- 
guished. Now,  "  in  breathing,  the  air  which  is  evolved 
from  the  lungs,  at  every  expiration,  consists  chiefly  of  ni- 
trogen, which  is  entirely  unfit  to  be  breathed  again,  and, 
therefore,  has  been  made  a  little  lighter  than  common 
air,  so  that  it  rises  above  our  heads  before  the  next  in- 
spiration. Had  nitrogen,  instead  of  being  thus  a  little 
lighter,  been  a  slight  degree  heavier  than  natural  air, 
it  would  have  accumulated  at  the  surface  of  the  earth, 
and  particularly  in  our  dwellings,  to  such  a  degree  as 
to  have  produced  diseases,  pestilence  and  death,  in  rapid 
succession.  But,  as  now  constituted,  it  flies  upward, 
and  we  never  breathe  it  again  till  it  enters  into  new  and 
salutary  combinations.* 

*  Christ.  Phi.,  p.  35. 


THE  SECOND   DAY.  105 

Oxygen,  as  it  exists  in  the  air,  appears  to  be  the 
mildest  of  all  elements ;  it  has  neither  taste  nor  smell, 
and  seems  to  be  devoid  of  all  active  properties.  It 
bathes  the  most  delicate  jjlant  and  animal  forms;  it  tra- 
verses the  finest  pores  of  flowers,  and  pervades  the 
minutest  cells  of  the  lungs,  without  inflicting  upon 
either  the  shadow  of  pain  or  injury.  It  seems  to  be 
perfectly  bland  and  innocuous.  Yet  release  it  from  the 
gossamer  bonds  which  God  has  thrown  around  it,  and 
it  is  one  of  the  most  powerful  of  the  chemical  elements. 
Beneath  this  apparent  mildness  there  is  concealed  an 
energy  so  violent  that,  when  once  roused,  nothing  can 
withstand  it.  "A  single  spark  will  change  its  whole 
character,  so  that  what  seemed  before  inert  and  passive, 
becomes  in  an  instant  violent  and  irrepressible.  The 
gentle  breeze  which  was  waving  the  corn,  and  flmning 
the  browsing  herd,  becomes  the  next  moment  a  con- 
suming fire,  before  which  the  most  enduring  works  of 
man  melt  away  into  air."  How  wonderful  is  this 
double  character  of  oxygen !  AVho  can  sufficiently  ad- 
mire the  skill  of  him  Avho  has  thus  united  in  the  same 
element  perfect  mildness  and  immeasurable  power ! 

REFLECTIONS. 

On  the  mass  of  the  atmosphere.  Vast  an  appendage 
as  this  is  to  our  globe,  its  dimensions  and  density  have 
been  adapted  with  the  utmost  exactness  to  the  constitu- 
tion of  all  organized  existences.  Any  material  change 
in  its  mass  would  require  a  corresponding  change  in  the 


106  THE   SECOND   DAY. 

structure  of  both  plants  and  animals,  and,  indeed,  in 
the  whole  economy  of  the  world.  If  its  mass  were 
considerably  reduced,  all  the  difficulties  experienced  by 
travellers  on  the  summits  of  lofty  mountains,  and  by 
aeronauts  at  great  elevations  above  the  earth,  would 
ensue ;  on  the  other  hand,  if  much  increased,  opposite 
and  equally  disastrous  results  would  follow.  If  the 
atmosphere  had  been  twice  or  three  times  its  present 
mass,  currents  of  air  would  move  with  double  or  triple 
their  present  force.  With  such  a  change  nothing  on 
sea  or  land  could  stand  against  a  storm.  But  how 
happily  do  we  find  all  things  balanced  as  now  constitu- 
ted. And  how  obvious,  that,  ere  ever  God  had  breathed 
forth  the  fluid  air,  in  his  all-comprehending  Mind,  its 
mass  was  measured  and  weighed,  and  the  strength  and 
wants  of -all  living  creatures  duly  estimated  before  one 
of  them  had  been  called  into  being.  All  the  works  of 
God  have  been  done  accordino;  to  a  determinate  coiuisel 
and  infallible  foreknowledge. 

On  the  ■pressure  of  the  atmosphere.  Contemplating 
the  enormous  weight  of  the  air,  resting  upon  all  things 
and  all  persons,  who  but  must  devoutly  admire  both 
the  wisdom  and  the  goodness  of  the  Creator,  in  so  ad- 
justing all  the  properties  of  the  firmament,  that  under 
it  we  can  breathe  and  walk  and  act  with  ease,  uncon- 
scious of  weight  or  oppression,  while  in  fact  we  are 
every  moment  under  a  load,  which,  when  reduced  to 
figures,  surpasses  both  our  comprehension  and  belief 
Marvellous  are  thy  works,  Lord  God  AlmifjJdy ! 


THE   SECOND   DAY.  107 

On  the  compos'it'io)i  of  the  atmosphere.  IIow  very 
wonderful  is  this !  When  we  reflect  upon  the  propor- 
tions and  combinations  of  its  constituent  elements,  we 
cannot  but  look  up  with  adoring  reverence  to  its  Divine 
Author.  "What  wisdom,  what  power,  what  benevolence, 
have  been  exercised  in  arranging  the  chemical  constitu- 
tion and  agencies  of  this  world,  to  adapt  them  unfail- 
ingly to  the  strength  and  wants  of  animals  and  of 
plants,  even  the  most  delicate  and  minute!  IIow  very 
slightly  the  atmosphere  of  life  differs  from*  one  that 
would  produce  instant  and  universal  death !  How 
trifling  the  change  the  Almighty  had  need  make  in  the 
air  we  hourly  breathe,  to  lay  all  the  wicked  and  rebel- 
lious s.ons  of  men  lifeless  and  silent  in  the  dust ! 


THE   WINDS. 
He  hringeth  the  wind  out  of  his  treasuries. 

The  infinitely  minute  particles  composing  the  atmos- 
phere, are  in  perpetual  motion  and  circulation.  These 
movements  constitute  the  winds;  and  they  all  originate 
in  a  difference  in  tlie  density  of  one  jjortion  of  the 
atmosphere  as  compared  with  another.  And  this 
difference  of  density  is  caused  by  the  heat  of  the  sun, 
the  presence  of  vapor,  and  at  times,  more  or  less,  by 
electricity.  When  the  air  near  the  surface  of  the  earth 
at  any  point  is  heated  by  the  reflected  rays  of  the  sun, 
it  expands  and  becomes  ligliter;  then  the  surrounding 


108  THE  SECOND   DAY. 

air,  which  has  remained  colder,  rushes  in,  causing  the 
warmed  and  rarified  air  to  ascend.  This  motion  of  the 
colder  air  is  Wind. 

All  this  may  be  illustrated  by  a  familiar  occurrence. 
Let  the  door  between  a  cold  and  a  heated  room  be 
thrown  open,  and  let  a  lighted  candle  be  held  in  it. 
Near  the  floor  the  flame  is  strongly  carried  toward  the 
heated  room  by  the  in-rushing  current  of  cold  air ;  but 
near  the  top  of  the  door  it  is  just  as  strongly  driven 
towards  the  cold  room  by  the  out-going  current  of  hot 
air.  Precisely  similar  to  what  thus  takes  place  between 
the  two  rooms  is  what  takes  place  in  the  expanded 
firmament. 

Bearing  the  above  illustration  in  mind,  what  are 
termed  the  sea  and  land  breezes  will  be  readily  under- 
stood. Let  us  take,  for  an  example,  an  island  stand- 
ing alone  in  a  tropical  sea ;  remembering  the  fact  that 
land  heats  more  readily,  and  again  cools  more  rapidly, 
than  water.  As  soon  as  the  beams  of  the  morning  sun 
begin  to  warm  the  ground,  the  air  over  it  is  warmed 
and  rarified  in  proportion ;  the  consequence  is,  the 
cooler  and  denser  air  which  has  been  resting  over  the 
surrounding  ocean,  rushes  in  from  all  quarters,  and  the 
island  is  thus  refreshed  by  a  sea  hreeze.  During  the 
night  the  process  is  reversed.  The  island  loses  heat 
by  radiation,  and  cools  quicker  than  the  sea ;  and  its 
atmosphere  with  it  having  become  cooler  and  heavier, 
runs  along  the  surface  in  every  direction  into,  or  rather 
under,  that  of  the  ocean,  and  there  is  in  this  manner 


THE   SECOND  DAY.  109 

produced  a  lajid  hrccze.  By  this  beautiful  balancing 
of  the  warm  and  cool  air,  the  languishing  inhabitants 
of  the  islands  and  seaboard  countries  of  the  tropics  are 
daily  refreshed  and  invigorated.  In  the  East  and  West 
Indies  these  flmnings  of  nature  are  said  to  be  inde- 
scribably reviving  and  delightful. 

What  occurs  between  the  two  rooms,  or  between  the 
sea  and  land  air  of  an  island,  takes  place  on  a  grand 
scale  between  the  whole  equatorial  regions  of  the  globe 
and  those  of  the  poles.  Here  the  polar  regions  corre- 
spond to  the  cold  room,  and  the  equatorial  to  the 
heated  room.  The  air  around  the  poles,  being  cold 
and  heavy,  flows  along  the  earth's  surface  toward  the 
equator;  having  reached  the  torrid  zone,  it  becomes 
heated,  and  ascends  to  the  higher  elevations  of  the 
firmament,  where  it  flows  back  over  the  colder  air 
towards  either  pole,  to  begin  again  the  same  round. 
Thus  two  lower  currents  from  the  poles  to  the  equator, 
and  two  superior  currents  from  the  equator  to  the  poles, 
are  in  perpetual  motion. 

How,  then,  it  may  be  asked,  are  the  variable  winds 
of  the  temperate  zones  to  be  accounted  for?  As  the 
one  current  in  its  progress  from  the  equator  constantly 
becomes  cooler,  and  the  other  in  its  approach  toward 
the  equator  as  constantly  warmer,  it  follows,  that  at 
certain  points  they  meet  of  equal  weight  and  density, 
and  thus  encounter  and  impede  one  another;  and  this, 
together  with  the  unequal  temperature  of  sea  and  land 
over  which  they  pass,  and  the  influence  of  screening 


110  THE   SECOND  DAY. 

clouds,  electrical  disturbances,  and  changes  of  seasons, 
produce  the  variable  and  ever  shifting  winds  of  the 
more  temperate  regions. 

From  the  inferior  and  superior  currents  between  the 
equator  and  the  poles,  result  also  the  famous  Trades,  as 
they  are  called.  On  either  side  of  the  equator  there  is 
a  broad  region  reaching  to  the  28th  degree  of  latitude, 
where  the  wind  blows  regularly  in  one  direction  the 
year  round.  North  of  the  equator,  it  comes  from  the 
northeast  J  and  south  of  the  equator  from  the  south- 
east. These,  from  their  commercial  advantages,  have 
been  termed  the  Trade  Winds.  In  the  j)roduction  of 
these,  the  earth's  axial  rotation  exerts  a  controlling 
influence.  The  speed  of  this  rotation  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  the  poles  is  mere  nothing;  midway 
between  the  poles  and  the  equator,  it  is  over  ten  miles 
per  hour ;  on  the  equator  it  is  sixteen  miles  per  hour. 
Now,  as  the  cold  current  from  the  poles  advances 
toward  the  equator,  the  surface  beneath,  for  the  above 
reason,  sweeps  forward  with  greater  and  greater 
velocity ;  so  that  the  aerial  current  at  every  step  of  its 
progress  falls  a  little  behind-hand ;  that  is,  it  is  left  a 
little  further  to  the  west  than  it  otherwise  would  be. 
This  loss  goes  on  increasing,  till  the  direction  of  the 
current  from  the  north  polar  region  is  changed  into 
southwest,  and  that  of  the  one  from  the  south  polar 
region,  into  northwest.  These  two  general  currents 
from  the  northeast  and  southeast  encounter  each 
other  in  the  torrid  zone,  and  there  combine,  thus  form- 


THE   SECOND   DAY.  \\\ 

ing  a  general  current  from  east  to  west,  sweeping  across 
both  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific. 

The  same  cause  makes  the  upper  currents  setting 
from  the  equator  towards  the  poles,  swerve  in  the  ojDpo- 
site  direction.  The  rotary  motion  in  this  case  growing 
slower  and  slower,  at  each  step  in  their  progress  toward 
the  poles,  they  find  themselves  a  little  in  advance  of 
the  earth's  motion,  that  is,  a  little  more  to  the  east ;  so 
that  by  the  time  that  the  northern  current  reaches  the 
middle  regions  of  the  temperate  zone,  its  course  is  north- 
east, and  the  result  a  prevailing  southwesterly  wjnd ; 
and  when  the  southern  current  has  reached  a  corre- 
sponding latitude,  its  direction  is  southeast,  and  thus 
gives  a  prevailing  northwesterly  w^ind. — How  admira- 
ble the  skill  herein  displayed,  and  how  great  the 
advantages  secured !  The  very  same  combination  of 
agencies  which  produce  the  Trade  Winds,  are  made 
likewise  by  the  Great  World  Builder  to  produce  winds 
which  blow  in  the  opposite  direction — thus  providing 
for  the  adventurous  mariner  a  propitious  breeze  both  to 
go  and  to  return  on  his  distant  voyages. 

In  the  Indian  Ocean  the  Trade  wind  is  interrupted, 
and  its  course  periodically  changed,  and  from  this 
circumstance  receives  the  name  JNIonsoon ;  from  April 
to  October  it  blows  from  the  southwest,  and  from 
October  to  April,  from  the  northeast.  This  change  is 
effected  in  the  same  manner  as  that  of  sea  and  land 
breezes.  While  southern  Africa,  on  tlie  one  side,  is 
basking  in  the  full  heat  of  the  southern  summer,  the 


112  THE   SECOND   DAY. 

deserts  of  central  Asia,  and  the  high  regions  of  the 
Himalayas,  on  the  other  side,  are  passing  through  the 
low  temperature  of  their  winter ;  hence  the  air  rushes 
from  this  colder  quarter  across  the  Indian  Ocean 
towards  the  warmer  regions  of  southern  Africa,  thus 
producing  the  northeast  Monsoon.  The  reverse  takes 
place  when  Asia  is  heated  by  the  burning  sun  of  the 
northern  summer,  while  south  Africa  is  cooled  by  its 
winter ;  now  the  air  blows  in  the  opposite  direction, 
and  gives  to  India  its  southioest  Monsoon.  These 
winds  also  are  great  aids  to  navigation,  as  well  as  great 
blessings  to  the  regions  upon  which  they  blow.  In  the 
southern  part  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  which  does  not 
come  under  the  influences  of  these  lands,  the  south- 
east Trade  wind  maintains  its  regular  course  through 
the  year. 

Other  and  peculiar  agitations  of  the  atmosphere  occur 
in  different  parts  of  the  globe,  such  as  the  Harmattan 
of  the  African  desert,  the  Sirocco  of  Greece  and  Italy, 
the  Typhoon  of  the  China  seas,  the  Hurricane  of  the 
West  Indies,  and  the  Cyclone  which  revolves  across  the 
ocean.  Of  these,  the  immediate  causes  in  which  they 
originate,  and  the  specific  ends  they  are  designed  to 
accomplish,  are  for  the  most  part  equally  obscure.  But 
of  this  we  may  be  sure,  whatever  incidental  evils  may 
attend  them,  that,  like  all  the  other  cosmical  arrange- 
ments, they  are  ultimately  beneficial  to  the  world. 
Winds  are  "  nature's  most  efficient  sanitary  agents,  by 
which  she  renovates  the  air  that  has  become  tainted 


THE  SECOND   DAY.  |13 

through  stagnation,  and  scatters  the  seeds  of  the  pesti- 
lence that  are  growing  up  for  destruction." 

REFLECTIONS. 

The  foregoing  subject  may  serve  to  teach  us  that  all 
the  works  and  ways  of  God,  however  discordant  or  dis- 
connected they  may  appear,  are  founded  in  wisdom  and 
designed  for  good.  To  the  uninformed  nothing  seems 
more  uncertain,  capricious  and  irregular  than  the  times 
and  courses  of  the  winds;  "fickle  as  the  Avind"  has 
become  a  proverbial  expression;  yet,  as  we  have  just 
seen,  all  the  agitations  and  movements  even  of  the 
wind,  are  governed  by  forces  most  delicately  balanced, 
and  acting  according  to  the  most  infallible  laws  of 
nature — the  constitution  of  the  atmosphere,  the  form 
of  the  earth,  its  velocity  on  its  axis,  the  cold  of  the 
Poles,  and  the  heat  of  the  Line,  are  all  so  regulated  and 
fitted  into  each  other,  as  to  encircle  the  world  with  a 
magnificent  and  perpetual  system  of  cerial  currents, 
essential  to  the  welfare  and  convenience  of  its  whole 
population. — The  same  holds  true  in  the  moral  world. 
With  our  present  limited  and  imperfect  knowledge, 
many  things  in  the  lot  of  individuals,  in  the  condition 
of  nations,  and  in  the  government  of  the  world,  may 
appear  to  us  irreconcilable  with  a  just  and  wise  Provi- 
dence. But  this  is  our  ignorance.  "Were  we  permitted 
to  look  outward  from  the  great  Central  Throne,  and 
could  understand  the  relation  of  the  agencies  employed, 
and  the  connection  of  the  ends  to  be  accomplished  by 


114  THE   SECOND  DAY. 

the  Divine  administration,  we  should  see  that,  as  with 
the  wind,  what  now  appears  a  mass  of  discordant  agents, 
disconnected  actions,  and  fortuitous  results,  were  all  ne- 
cessary and  fitting  parts  of  a  harmonious  system,  and 
that  every  actor,  every  influence,  every  event,  was 
brought  forward  in  its  intended  connections,  and  at  its 
appointed  time.  Such  knowledge,  now,  is  too  wonder- 
ful for  us ;  it  is  high,  we  cannot  attain  unto  it. 

In  the  Hebrew,  and  also  in  the  Greek  Scriptures,  the 
same  word  denotes  both  wind  and  spirit ;  hence  the 
former  is  often  employed  to  illustrate  the  operations  of 
the  latter.  The  most  notable  lesson  of  the  Great 
Teacher  on  the  subject  was  conveyed  under  this  com- 
parison. As  the  wind  cannot  he  seen,  but  is  known  only 
by  its  effects,  waving  the  vegetation,  agitating  the 
waters,  or  driving  the  clouds,  so  also  the  Spirit  of  God 
in  his  presence  with  men.  No  man  hath  seen  the 
Spirit  at  any  time,  but  we  are  as  well  assured  of  his 
existence,  and  of  his  gracious  agency,  as  if  we  beheld 
him  with  our  eyes ;  for  we  plainly  see  his  effects,  making 
the  thoughtless  serious,  the  profane  prayerful,  the  proud 
and  passionate  meek  and  mild,  the  afflicted  calm  and 
peaceful,  and  the  dying  triumphant  over  death  and  the 
grave.  As  every  effect  must  have  a  corresponding 
cause,  these  are  as  surely  the  fruits  of  a  Holy  Spirit  as 
that  the  waves  of  the  sea,  and  the  motions  of  the 
clouds,  are  the  effects  of  the  wind.  Happy  the  soul 
that  has  known  his  renewing  power  ! 


THE   SECOND  DAY.  \\^ 


EVAPORATION. 

And  God  divided  the  ivaters  tvhieh  were  under  the  firmament  from  the 
ivaters  which  were  above  the  firmament. 

This  division  of  the  waters  was  the  most  prominent 
feature  of  the  second  day's  work.  The  process  employed 
for  its  accomplishment,  we  may  suppose,  was  that  of 
evaporation.  By  this  agency  the  dark  and  dank  vapors 
were  made  to  rise,  and  suspend  themselves  in  clouds  in 
the  higher  regions  of  the  atmosphere,  and  thus  leave  a 
clear  expanse  or  firmament  over  the  face  of  the  earth. 
And  this  agency,  now  called  into  such  active  exercise, 
was  to  remain  in  permanent  operation,  being  indis- 
pensable to  the  welfare  of  the  world,  as  without  evapo- 
ration there  could  be  no  clouds,  without  clouds  there 
could  be  no  rain,  without  rain  there  could  be  no  vege- 
tation or  animals,  and  without  vegetation  or  animals 
there  could  be  no  men. 

For  the  better  understanding  and  appreciation  of  this 
wonderful  process,  let  us  suppose  that  it  has  never  yet 
rained,  that  even  a  cloud  has  never  been  seen,  and  that 
under  these  circumstances  the  human  family  is  placed 
upon  the  earth,  and  appointed  to  subsist  upon  what 
shall  grow  out  of  its  soil.  Soon  they  discover  that 
moisture  is  indispensable  to  all  vegetation,  and  that  un- 
less the  ground  be  watered,  it  will  yield  them  nothing. 
Immediately  upon  this  follows  the  inquiry,  IIow  is  this 
to  be  done  ?     There,  indeed,  is  the  deep  and  wide  sea — 


116  THE   SECOND   DAY. 

an  abundance  of  water;  but  here  is  the  Land  rising  far 
above  its  level.  How  can  that  water  be  raised  hither, 
and  how  is  it  to  be  freed  from  its  saline  impurities,  so  as 
to  be  fit  for  the  use  of  man,  or  beast,  or  the  field  ?  How 
is  it  to  be  drawn  from  its  deep  places,  and  carried  in 
adequate  quantities  over  the  length  and  breadth  of  the 
plains,  or  hoisted  and  dispersed  over  the  hills  and 
mountains  ?  And  how  is  this  to  be  done  perpetually, 
at  the  needed  intervals,  and  in  sufficient  amounts  for 
every  region  of  the  earth's  surface?  Who  that  had 
never  seen  a  shower  or  a  cloud  could  have  answered 
these  questions?  Who,  in  such  a  case,  could  have 
solved  the  alarming  difficulties  which  they  present? 
The  happy  and  effective  method  contrived  by  the  Great 
Architect  would  never  have  entered  the  human  mind. 
Let  us,  then,  contemplate  the  system  of  beautiful  ad- 
justments by  which  our  Father  accomplishes  all  this 
for  us,  without  labor,  or  assistance,  or  care  on  our 
part. 

Our  first  inquiry  is.  How  is  the  ivater  of  the  ocean  to 
be  raised  and  freed  from  its  salts,  for  ivaterhig  the 
earth  ?  By  evaporation  ;  and  this  is  a  wonderful  opera- 
tion. Water,  in  its  natural  state,  is  800  times  heavier 
than  atmosphere ;  and  but  for  our  experience,  that  such 
a  weighty  element  should  rise  and  float  in  thin  air, 
would  appear  to  us  as  unlikely  and  impossible  as  that 
the  gravel  at  the  bottom  of  a  lake  should  rise  and  swim 
on  its  surface.  Yet  God  contrived  a  metliod  by  which 
this  is  effected  with  infinite  ease  every  day.     In  what 


THE   SECOND  DAY.  117 

waj^,  then,  does  water  climb  into  the  firmament,  and 
float  at  the  rarified  altitudes  of  three  or  four  miles,  and 
even  six  miles,  where  cloudlets  are  sometimes  seen  ? 
The  atmosphere  is  so  constituted  as  to  be  capable  of 
absorbing  moisture  and  retaining  it  in  an  invisible  state ; 
the  warmer  the  air,  the  greater  is  its  capacity  for  this. 
The  air  in  a  room  measuring  sixty  feet  each  Avay,  and 
at  a  temperature  of  G8°  Fahr.,  is  capable  of  taking  up 
and  holding  no  less  than  252  pounds  of  water.  Now, 
by  the  action  of  heat,  water  is  converted  into  steam  or 
vapor;  and,  in  this  state,  it  occupies  a  space  1600  times 
greater  than  in  its  liquid  state,  and  is,  therefore,  much 
lighter  than  the  atmosphere  ;  consequently  it  readily 
floats  and  ascends  into  its  higher  regions.  In  this  w^ay 
vast  quantities  of  water,  in  the  form  of  invisible  vapor, 
are  continually  ascending  from  sea  and  land,  and  even 
from  the  regions  of  perpetual  ice  and  snow.  This  vapor, 
having'  reached  the  hiirher  and  cooler  altitudes  of  the 
firmament,  gradually  condenses  into  visible  clouds, 
which  are  sometimes  thousands  of  feet  in  thickness,  and 
tens  of  thousands  of  acres  in  extent,  and  suspend  in 
their  dark  folds  immense  quantities  of  water,  ever  ready 
to  return  to  the  earth  from  whence  it  arose.  But  if  the 
water  raised  in  this  manner  were  to  drop  back  on  the 
spots  from  which  it  was  produced,  but  little  or  no  good 
would  be  effected.     Hence  arises 

A  second  question.  How  is  the  water  treasured  xLp  in 
the  clouds  to  he  conveyed  where  it  is  needed  ?  What  arm 
can  reach  and  impel  their  mighty  masses  to  the  distant 


118  TEE   SECOND  DAY. 

plains  and  the  rising  mountains  ?  To  no  purpose  has 
the  machinery  of  evaporation  been  contrived  and  set  in 
motion  if  this  be  not  done.  Yain,  indeed,  is  the  strength 
of  man  here.  But  just  at  this  point  another  of  the  at- 
mospheric agencies  is  brought  into  happy  operation. 
The  beautiful  system  of  air-currents  or  winds,  described 
in  the  preceding  chapter,  pursuing  their  appointed 
courses,  load  themselves  with  the  clouds,  and  upon  their 
untiring  wings  bear  them  away  hither  and  thither, 
as  they  are  needed.  A  ship  loading  with  merchan- 
dise at  a  foreign  dock,  or  a  train  starting  with  freight 
from  a  railroad  station,  is  not  more  explicit  in  its  mis- 
sion, than  the  currents  of  the  atmosphere,  which  take  in 
from  sea,  and  lake,  and  river,  cargoes  of  vapor,  and 
hasten  with  them  to  the  waiting  isles,  and  to  the  hearts 
of  continents,  where  we  see  them  float  their  enriching 
stores  over  the  dry  and  thirsty  land.  But  these  treas- 
ures of  moisture,  however  suitable  in  their  nature,  or 
ample  in  their  quantity,  suspended  at  an  elevation  of 
two,  three,  or  four  miles,  if  they  remain  there,  will 
be  of  no  more  benefit  to  the  toiling  husbandman,  than 
so  many  barrels  of  provisions  laid  up  in  the  moon 
would  be  to  the  famishing  mariner.     Hence  springs 

A  third  question,  Hoio  are  these  nebulous  sJiljis  to  he 
unloaded?  How  is  the  water  to  be  released  and 
brought  down  from  the  clouds  ?  What  can  man  do  or 
contrive  to  effect  this?  Nothing.  What,  though  by 
his  skill  he  has  learned  to  ascend  into  the  sky  ?  What 
if  he  should  construct  a  fleet  of  balloons,  and  dispatch 


THE  SECOND  DAY.  119 

an  army  thither  ?  Could  they  besiege  those  towering 
masses,  iiiid  compel  them  to  let  go  their  watery  stores? 
or  could  they  lay  hold  upon  the  skirts  of  those  clouds, 
and  pull  them  down  into  contact  with  the  panting  earth? 
No;  none  of  these.  Here  is  work  above  the  power  and 
bej^ond  the  skill  of  man.  As  water  is  converted  into 
vapor  by  heat,  so  by  the  loss  of  heat  vapor  is  recon- 
verted into  water.  Hence,  when  a  cloud  of  vapor, 
either  by  entering  a  chillier  stratum  of  air,  or  by  coming 
in  contact  with  colder  currents,  loses  any  portion  of  its 
former  heat,  a  corresponding  proportion  of  its  aqueous 
contents  is  condensed  into  what  may  be  called  watev- 
dust.  And  these  dust-like  particles,  by  coming  into 
contact,  unite ;  and  these  again,  in  a  similar  manner,  co- 
alesce with  others  still,  till  visible  globules  or  drops  are 
formed.  And  all  this  process  is  conducted  with  the  ex- 
actness of  number,  weight  and  measure.  A  cloud,  for 
example,  floats  in  a  current  of  air  of  80°  temperature ; 
if  that  current  loses  9°  of  its  heat,  the  cloud  must  cast 
overboard,  in  the  form  of  a  shower,  one  quarter  of  its 
load;  and  if  it  loses  21°  of  its  heat,  then  it  must  part  with 
one-half  of  its  tonnage.  Thus,  as  the  heat  gradually 
decreases,  the  condensation  of  the  vapor  gradually  in- 
creases, forming,  as  just  stated,  the  drops  and  the 
showers,  which  refresh  and  renew  the  f\ice  of  the  earth. 
And  this  brings  us  to 

A  fourth  arrangement  of  great  moment  and  pleasing 
interest,  The  admirable  waij  in  which  the  clouds  dis- 
charge their  contents,  viz.,  in  soft  and  gentle  showers. 


120  THE   SECOND   DA  Y. 

If,  instead  of  this,  they  poured  out  their  prodigious  con- 
tents at  once,  in  streams  and  floods,  the  consequences, 
frequently,  would  be  destructive  and  lamentable  in  the 
extreme,  as  is  evident  from  instances  of  this  kind, 
which,  at  distant  intervals,  have  taken  place.  Vegeta- 
tion would  be  destroyed,  crops  would  be  beaten  into  the 
ground,  the  trees  stripped  of  their  leaves  and  fruits,  the 
fields  ploughed  into  trenches,  and  the  soil  washed  away, 
the  streams  suddenly  swelled  into  impetuous  and  de- 
structive torrents ;  so  that  presently  every  gathering  or 
passing  cloud  would  become  like  an  avalanche,  an  ob- 
ject of  terror  to  all  who  beheld  it.  Viewed  in  contrast 
with  all  this,  how  beautiful,  how  beneficent  is  the  ex- 
isting arrangement !  Instead  of  descending  like  this, 
in  ruinous  cascades,  we  see  the  water  trickling  down  in 
gentle  and  fertilizing  drops,  as  if  the  nether  side  of  the 
clouds  were  finely  perforated  into  a  sieve,  and  these 
drops  alighting  upon  the  earth,  without  bruising  a 
flower  or  destroying  a  blade  of  grass.  Softly  the  work 
begins,  and  softly  it  is  carried  on  as  the  cloudy  cisterns 
sail  slowly  over  field  and  forest,  hill  and  dale,  leaving 
no  district  unvisited,  no  spot  unwatered.  Who  that  in- 
telligently contemplates  all  this,  but  must  be  rapt  into 
admiration  and  gratitude,  in  view  of  the  designing  wis- 
dom and  difl'usive  goodness  of  God,  as  seen  in  every 
passing  shower ! 

The  work  of  evaporation  and  condensation  is  con- 
ducted so  gently,  so  noiselessly,  and,  for  the  most  part, 
so  unobserved,  that  but  comparatively  few  are  aware 


THE   SECOND   DAY.  T21 

of  the  stupendous  luagnitude  of  these  operations.  The 
quantity  of  water  which  is  annually  condensed  and  de- 
posited as  dew,  in  Great  Britain,  has  been  estimated  at 
five  inches.  In  temperate  climates,  like  that  of  Europe, 
with  a  mean  temperature  of  52°,  the  annual  evapora- 
tion is  equal  to  a  layer  of  water  thirty-seven  inches 
deep.  Within  the  tropics  it  is  much  greater,  varying 
from  eighty  to  one  hundred  inches.  Take  another 
fact :  the  Dead  Sea  is  an  inland  sheet  of  water,  seventy 
miles  long  by  twenty  miles  wide,  having  no  outlet. 
Into  this  discharges  the  celebrated  Jordan,  which,  at  its 
mouth,  is  250  feet  wide,  and  ten  feet  deep,  and  flows 
with  a  current  that  discharges  daily  over  six  millions 
of  tuns  of  water.  This  influx  has  been  going  on,  with- 
out intermission,  year  after  year,  and  century  after 
century;  yet  this  lake  neither  rises  nor  overflows  the 
surrounding  country,  but  remains  the  same  to-day  that 
it  was  in  the  days  of  Moses  and  Joshua.  And  by 
what  means  has  it  been  kept  within  these  same  fixed 
limits  ?  Obviously  by  evaporation,  for  its  waters  have 
no  other  way  of  escape.  The  same  holds  true  of  the 
Caspian  Sea,  and  the  Sea  of  Aral.  And  what  is  true  of 
these  is  true  of  all  the  great  oceans.  Hence  it  follows, 
startling  and  incredible  as  the  statement  may  at  first 
appear,  that  as  great  an  amount  of  water  daily  flows  up- 
ward by  evaporation  into  the  skies,  as-  all  the  rivers  of 
the  globe  pour  into  the  ocean,  which  has  been  computed 
to  amount  to  186,240  cubic  miles  per  annum!  a 
quantity  sufficient  to  cover  all  the  land  of  the  earth  to 


122  THE    SECOND    DAY. 

the  depth  of  three  feet.  Such  are  the  results  accom- 
plished by  the  machmery  of  the  firmament,  which,  under 
all  its  tremendous  weight  of  labor,  never  wears  out, 
never  breaks  down,  never  fiiils  to  do  its  work  at  the 
right  time,  and  in  the  right  way. 

The  invisible  moisture  of  the  air,  supplied  by  evapo- 
ration, besides  watering  and  nourishing  all  the  vegeta- 
tion of  the  earth,  is  essential  to  the  welfare,  and  even 
to  the  life  of  everything  that  hath  breath.  AYere  the 
air  at  any  time  to  become  perfectly  dry,  it  would,  in  its 
eager  thirst,  suck  up  all  the  fluids  of  our  bodies,  and 
speedily  convert  them  into  blackened  mummies.  Add 
to  this  the  fact,  that  from  the  moisture  existing  in  the 
air,  the  atmosphere  derives  its  power  of  confining  the 
heat,  which  is  always  endeavoring  to  radiate  from  the 
earth's  surface  into  space ;  through  a  perfectlj^  dry  at- 
mosphere this  heat  would  freely  and  rapidly  escape, 
so  that  but  for  the  moisture  present  in  the  air,  every 
night  would  place  the  earth's  surface,  as  it  were,  in  con- 
tact with  that  intense  cold  which  exists  in  empty  space 
— a  degree  of  cold  proven  to  be  not  less  than  230°  below 
Zero,  Fahr.,  in  which  no  earthly  plant  or  animal  could 
live  even  for  an  hour.  Our  safety — the  safety  and 
well-being  of  every  living  thing — depends  on  a  free 
admixture  of  water  with  the  air.  How  marvellous  and 
how  beneficent  altogether,  then,  is  the  process  of  evapo- 
ration, the  dividing  of  the  waters  from  the  icalem! 


THE    SECOND    DAY.  123 

REFLECTIONS. 

In  the  foregoing  subject  we  behold  striking  evidences 
of  the  unity  of  the  Creator's  plan,  and  the  harmony  of 
all  the  agencies  embraced  in  it.  Our  reason  is  de- 
lighted, and  imagination  charmed,  in  contemplating  the 
physical  arrangements  of  our  world  from  such  a  point 
of  view  as  that  we  have  just  been  occupying;  from  it 
the  atmosphere,  the  ocean,  and  the  dry  land,  apjDoar 
each  as  a  part  of  that  grand  machinery  upon  which  the 
well-being  of  all  the  living  tenants  of  the  earth  de- 
pends ;  and  which,  in  their  connections  and  beautiful 
adaptations,  afford  the  most  convincing  proof  that  they 
all  have  had  their  origin  in  one  Omniscient  Mind,  just 
as  the  several  parts  of  a  chronometer  may  be  considered 
to  have  been  contrived  and  made  according  to  one 
human  design. 

Vast  amounts  of  toil  and  treasure  have  been  expended 
to  supply  cities  with  water;  and  the  aqueducts  and 
hydraulic  machinery  constructed  for  these  ends  stand 
amoncf  the  greatest  of  human  achievements.  Shall  we 
point  to  one  of  these — a  mere  toy,  bearing  its  scanty 
measure  to  a  single  group  of  humanity — as  a  monument 
of  skill  ?  and  shall  we  deny  or  overlook  the  skill  and 
power  Divine  displayed  in  the  self-acting,  and  self- 
perpetuating  water-works  of  the  firmament,  which  so 
abundantly  supply  the  wants  of  a  whole  world's  popu- 
lation, refresh  with  showers  the  vegetation  of  its  four 
continents,  and  keep  in  perpetual  flow  their  springs  and 


124  THE   SECOND  DAY. 

streams  and  rivers  all  ?  Can  any  being,  claiming  intel- 
ligence, view  all  this,  and  not  instinctively  adopt  the 
devout  language  of  the  prophet,  "  He  that  thus  calleth 
for  the  Avaters  of  the  sea,  and  poureth  them  out  on  the 
face  of  the  land,  Jehovah  is  his  name." 

And  the  scenery  of  the  firmament — how  much  do  we 
behold  in  this  to  admire  and  delight.  What  forms, 
what  colors,  what  variety,  what  movements  and  magni- 
tudes !  How  excellent  the  arrangement  that,  instead 
of  leaving  the  rising  vapors  to  overspread  and  obscure 
the  whole  heaven,  breaks  up  and  collects  them  into 
clouds,  thus  exhibiting  to  our  delighted  eyes  "  the  blue 
etherial  sky,"  and  producing  the  pleasing  alternations 
of  shade  and  sunshine !  How  charming  the  lights  and 
shadows  that  are  thus  made  to  flit  over  the  face  of  the 
landscape ;  now  we  see  the  sun  suddenly  bursting  forth 
from  his  hiding-place,  and  flooding  all  nature  with  his 
genial  heat  and  glories;  and  now  we  witness  the  deep 
gigantic  shadows  of  the  flying  clouds,  careering,  one 
after  another,  over  field  and  forest  and  mountain-side  ! 
Add  to  all  this  the  endless  combinations  and  shades 
and  forms  the  clouds  are  made  to  assume,  in  order  to 
relieve  and  adorn  our  skies.  We  have  the  delicate 
tints  that  first  streak  the  morning  sky,  spreading  and 
deepening,  spreading  and  deepening,  till  the  whole 
roof  above  is  wreathed  and  lined  with  purple  glories  ! 
Then  we  have  the  silky  vapors  that,  at  the  fervid  noon, 
float  in  the  highest  azure,  as  if  the  altar-smoke  of  pure 
devotion  on  its  way  before  the  Highest.     And,  again, 


THE   SECOND    DAY.  ]25 

the  clouds  of  thunder;  these,  at  first  sombre  in  color 
and  limited  in  extent,  soon  begin  to  swell  and  put  forth 
glistening  fronts,  and  divide  into  chasms  and  precipices; 
massy  and  ahnost  motionless  they  stand,  only  piling, 
with  every  instant,  higher  and  higher  into  the  sky,  till 
mountains  of  marble,  and  pinnacles  of  glittering 
adamant  are  presented  to  the  view,  casting  far  behind 
them  their  deep,  dark  shadows.  Above  all,  we  have 
the  scenes  of  the  setting  sun.  Amid  what  indescribable 
glories  often  sinks  to  rest  the  great  monarch  of  the 
day :  declining  in  his  westward  course,  what  manner 
of  clouds  await  him,  calmly  resting  on  the  verge  of  the 
horizon  ;  slowly  he  descends,  and  softly  amid  their 
resiDlendent  folds  he  sinks — disappears;  and  lo !  over 
his  couch  is  drawn  a  veil  of  purple  and  crimson  and 
scarlet,  more  gorgeous  than  the  curtain  of  God's  taber- 
nacle, and  all  glorious  to  behold !  And  this,  all  this, 
w^as  contrived  to  gratify  the  eye,  to  inspire  the  imagina- 
tion, and  to  fill  with  cheer  and  delight  the  hearts  of  the 
children  of  men. 

In  this  system  of  evaporation,  clouds  and  showers,  we 
have  an  instructive  type  of  i-trayer  and  its  gracious  re- 
turns. In  the  natural  w^orld,  the  sun  pours  down  his 
light  and  heat,  and  diffiises  his  genial  inihiencos  over 
all;  yet  warming  and  animating,  in  a  special  degree, 
those  fields  and  hill-sides  turned  more  directly  towards 
him,  and  drawing  upward  from  them  a  proportionally 
greater  amount  of  vapor ;  this  vapor,  as  we  have  seen, 
in  due  time,  returns  in  showers,  refreshing  and  beauti- 


126  THE    SECOND    DAY. 

fying  all  nature.  So  in  the  -world  of  Christian  devo- 
tion. Under  the  benignant  beams  of  the  Sun  of  Rights 
eousness,  the  exhalations  of  prayer  and  praise  are  drawn 
upwards  to  the  heavenly  throne;  more  abundantly, 
as  in  nature,  from  those  more  completely  under  his 
gracious  influences;  and  these  exhalations  of  the  heart, 
through  a  Saviour's  mediation,  are  made  to  return  in 
richer  showers,  even  showers  of  grace,  to  refresh  and 
strengthen  those  souls  to  bring  forth  fruit  unto  everlast- 
ing life.  Again  :  As  the  earth,  without  showers,  would 
soon  become  parched  and  barren  and  dead  ;  so,  without 
the  rain  and  dew  of  Divine  grace,  the  moral  earth  would 
become  as  iron,  and  its  heavens  as  brass ;  every  plant 
of  holiness,  every  flower  of  piety,  and  every  blade  of 
virtue,  would  soon  droop  and  die.  Nor  does  the  parallel 
end  here :  as  in  the  physical  world,  the  greater  the 
quantity  of  vapors  drawn  up  from  sea  and  land,  the 
greater  will  be  the  amount  of  rain  that  sooner  or  later 
will  come  down  on  plain  and  mountain;  so  in  the 
spiritual,  the  more  abundant  the  exhalations  of  prayer 
and  supplication  from  the  children  of  men,  the  more 
copious  the  showers  of  grace  that  will  be  poured  out  in 
return.  Let  prayer,  therefore,  daily  ascend  as  the 
vapors  from  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  rise  as  clouds  of 
incense  before  the  throne,  and  this  wilderness  shall  yet 
blossom  as  the  rose,  flourish  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord, 
and  bloom  with  all  the  beauties  of  an  unblighted 
paradise. 


TUE    SECOND    DAY.  127 

LIGHTNING  AND  THUNDER. 

He   made   a   way  for   the   lightning   of  thunder. 

Another  element  of  great  and  mysterious  interest  per- 
taining to  the  firmament  is  electricity,  whose  presence 
and  efieets  are  most  commonly  witnessed  in  thunder- 
storms. This  subtle  principle  appears  to  be  diffused 
through  all  nature ;  the  firm  earth,  the  rolling  ocean,  the 
yielding  atmosphere,  the  bodies  of  living  animals,  and 
the  substance  of  growing  plants,  alike  confess  its  pres- 
ence. It  is,  beyond  all  doubt,  one  of  the  most  important 
of  the  forces  of  creation.  Its  power  is  all  but  omnipo- 
tent. In  an  instant,  it  rifts  the  oak  into  splinters,  sets 
floating  ships  in  a  blaze,  and  explodes  the  massive  castle 
into  fragments.  Even  rocks  have  been  scathed  and 
vitrified,  and  the  hardest  metals  reduced  to  fluids,  by 
this  terrible  element  in  its  furious  march. 

The  nature  of  electricity  is  involved  in  much  dark- 
ness. By  some  philosophers  it  is  believed  to  be  a  form 
of  heat.  It  is  supposed  to  be  of  two  kinds,  or,  at  least, 
to  exist  in  two  different  conditions,  termed  positive  and 
negative.  Positive  and  negative  electricities  always  ex- 
hibit a  powerful  disposition  to  unite ;  but  two  bodies, 
charged  with  the  same  kind  of  electricity,  whether 
positive  or  negative,  repel  each  other. 

Electricity  may  be  generated  and  collected  by  arti- 
ficial means;  as  by  rubbing  a  revolving  plate  of  glass 
with  a  piece  of  silk.     After  a  manner  similar  to  this, 


128  THE  SECOND  DAY. 

Nature  herself  is  constantly  carrying  on  the  same  pro- 
cess on  a  grand  scale.  The  currents  of  air  are  ever 
generating  electricity  as  they  sweep  or  rub  over  the 
surface  of  the  globe ;  and  the  fluid  thus  evolved  passes 
partly  into  the  earth  and  partly  into  the  atmosphere. 
When  very  dry,  the  portion  passing  into  the  air  may 
accumulate  in  excess,  in  which  case  the  firmament  be- 
comes filled  with  thunder-clouds,  from  which  dart 
flashes  toward  the  earth ;  or,  sometimes,  from  one 
cloud  to  another ;  and  in  this  way  the  equilibrium  is 
restored. 

The  phenomenon  of  a  thunder-storm  may  be  ex- 
plained by  a  simple  experiment.  Let  a  glass  globe  be 
suspended  by  a  silken  cord  directly  over  a  table ;  let 
this  globe  be  charged  by  means  of  an  electrical  machine 
with  iDositlve  electricity,  and  immediately  this  acts  in- 
ductively through  the  air,  and  causes  a  counter-collec- 
tion of  ncfjatvve  electricity  in  the  table  below.  These 
collections,  as  just  stated,  have  a  strong  tendency  to 
unite ;  if  the  intervening  space,  however,  be  consider- 
able, this  they  cannot  do.  But  let  the  glass  globe  be 
now  gently  lowered  so  as  to  lessen  the  interval,  and  the 
electricities,  able  now  to  overcome  the  thinner  partition 
of  air,  rush  together  with  a  spark  and  detonation.  Now 
this  spark  and  detonation  are  thunder  and  lightning  in 
miniature,  and  are  precisely  similar  to  these  sublime 
phenomena  as  witnessed  in  the  heavens.  TJiere,  a 
cloud  becomes  impregnated  with  j^O'^itive  electricity, 
and  this  Avill  throw  a  neighboring  cloud,  like  the  table. 


THE  SECOND  DAY.  129 

into  a  negative  state ;  and  the  instant  these  two  clouds 
are  brought  sufficiently  near,  there  is  a  disruptive  dis- 
charge from  one  to  the  other,  attended  with  a  startling 
blaze  of  light,  followed  by  a  crash  of  thunder,  produced 
by  the  concussion  of  the  air  in  re-uniting,  after  having 
been  divided  by  the  electric  discharge. 

It  frequently  happens  that  a  cloud  of  many  thousands 
of  acres  becomes  charged  with  positive  electricity ;  this, 
floating  along  at  a  low  elevation,  renders  a  corres- 
ponding extent  of  the  earth's  surf\ice  below  negatively 
charged;  and  all  within  the  l^orders  of  this  negative 
tract  And  themselves  almost  helplessly  stationed  be- 
tween two  highly  excited  masses;  the  air  becomes 
sultry  and  stagnant ;  the  head  is  oppressed  with  dul- 
ness,  and  the  w^liole  frame  with  nameless  languor.  The 
very  beasts  become  living  electrometers ;  the  animated 
horse  and  the  dull  ox  alike  stand  in  rueful  gaze,  and 
the  birds  skim  low  along  the  ground,  as  if  dreading  a 
loftier  flight.  The  wind  comes  and  goes  in  fitful  gusts, 
or  lowly  moans,  as  if  bewailing  the  approaching  con- 
flict. Stillness  and  gloom  invest  all  nature.  As  this 
storm-cloud  sails  onward  through  the  atmosphere,  its 
negative  electrical  antagonist,  like  its  shadow,  is  travel- 
ling the  surface  of  the  ground  at  the  same  pace ;  be- 
tween them  is  kept  up  a  contest,  like  that  of  armies 
moving  in  parallel  lines ;  ever  and  anon  ^lie  vivid  flashes 
dart  forth,  or  the  red  bolts  are  hurled  from  above;  the 
very  ground  trembles,  and  the  whole  concave  reverber- 
ates with  the  clangor  of  the  mighty  discharges,  while  the 


130  THE   SECOND  DAY. 

copious  shower  descends,  as  in  an  unbroken  sheet,  to 
lave  the  face  of  nature. 

What  are  commonly  called  thunder-clouds  are  not 
the  only  depositories  of  electricity  in  the  atmosphere  ; 
even  the  cool  mist,  which  settles  down  upon  the 
earth's  surface,  is  frequently  charged  with  enormous 
quantities  of  electricity.  Experimenting  upon  such 
mist  in  the  month  of  November,  Crosse,  the  English 
electrician,  drew  from  it  such  a  rush  of  electric  fire,  that 
the  eye  could  not  endure  to  look  at  it ;  and  to  have 
touched  the  conductor  through  which  it  gushed  would 
have  been  instant  death  !  For  upwards  of  five  hours, 
this  splendid,  but  appalling  spectacle,  continued  without 
intermission.  In  every  acre  of  that  fog,  he  tells  us, 
there  w^as  enough  of  accumulated  electricity  to  have 
destroyed  every  living  thing  within  that  acre.  How 
startling  to  think,  that  in  travelling  through  a  raw 
autumn  mist,  we  may  be  sheeted  in  fire,  and  passing 
through  a  furnace  more  deadly  than  that  of  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, and  yet  escape  without  a  hair  of  our  head 
being  singed ! 

It  is  pleasing  to  contemplate  what  provisions  the 
Creator  has  made  to  prevent  danger  and  destruction 
from  an  undue  accumulation  of  electricity  in  the  at- 
mosphere. He  has  so  constituted  every  tree,  every 
bush,  and  every  blade  of  grass,  as  to  be  a  conductor  of 
electricity  from  the  atmosphere  into  the  earth.  "A  leaf 
pointed  with  nature's  exquisite  workmanship  is  three 
times  as  effectual  as  the  finest  needle ;  and  a  single  living 


THE    SECOND   DAY.  131 

twig  far  more  efficient  than  the  metallic  points  of  the 
best  constructed  rod.  What,  then,  must  be  the  agency  of 
an  extended  forest  in  disarming  the  storm  of  its  terrors  ? 
The  raindrops  and  the  snow-flakes,  also,  have  been  made 
good  conductors ;  so  that  during  the  storms,  a  bridge  for 
the  lit>htninG;  is  thrown  across  from  the  clouds  to  the 
earth.  Hence  we  see  with  what  care  Providence  has 
guarded  us  from  this  destructive  agent.  It  is  only  under 
unusual  circumstances,  when  electricity  is  developed 
more  rapidly  than  it  can  be  dissipated  through  these 
numberless  channels,  that  a  violent  discharge  takes 
place ;  and  if,  then,  it  tears,  burns  or  kills,  it  also  re- 
veals the  merciful  Hand  which  constantly  spares." — 
CooISs  ReVujion  and  Chemistry. 

We  have  used  the  term  undue  accumulation  of  elec- 
tricit}^ — this  is  not  strictly  correct,  for  even  this  excess 
is  a  specific  arrangement,  and  is  designed  to  effect  im- 
portant results.  It  is  when  the  volleys  of  the  bursting 
cloud  cleave  the  firmament,  and  the  thunders  of  the 
discharge  are  pealing  their  dreadful  notes  above  our 
heads,  that  the  chemical  combinations  of  the  noxious 
exhalations  arising  from  decaying  animal  and  vegetable 
substances,  are  cftected,  and  the  elements,  fitted  for  the 
purposes  of  animal  health  and  vegetable  growth,  are 
formed  and  brought  to  the  ground  in  the  heavy  rains 
which  usually  attend  these  storms.  It  is  by  these  con- 
vulsions that  the  atmosphere  regains  its  balance,  and 
renews  its  salubrity.  Thus  Science  unites  with  Revela- 
tion in  teaching  us,  that  our  Father  in  heaven  is  no  less 


132  THE    SECOND    DAY. 

loving  and  kind  in  launching  forth  the  "  winged  bolt," 
than  in  sending  down  the  gentle  sunbeam. 

REFLECTIONS. 

God  is  not  nature,  and  nature  is  not  God;  yet  what- 
ever of  wisdom  or  wonder,  of  goodness  or  excellence, 
nature  displays,  existed  in  the  Divine  mind  from  eter- 
nity; and  the  end  of  every  created  thing  is  to  be,  so  far, 
a  manifestation  of  the  Creator's  perfections.  And  no 
production  of  his  hand,  perhaps,  speaks  to  us  more 
plainly  and  impressively  of  these  than  the  electric 
element.  The  wonders  wrought  by  its  power  are  truly 
marvellous,  and  many  of  its  magic  influences  have,  thus 
far,  baffled  every  attempt  to  explain  or  understand 
them.  The  dewdrop  that  glistens  on  the  flower,  or 
even  the  tear  that  trembles  on  the  eyelid,  holds  locked 
in  its  transparent  cell  a  sufficient  amount  of  this  elec- 
tric fire  to  create  a  storm  that  shall  be  felt  and  heard 
over  a  kingdom.  It  exercises  power  and  dominion 
throughout  nature.  It  pervades  the  bodies  and  affects 
the  lives  of  all  animated  beings,  and  is  concerned  in  the 
growth  and  maturity  of  every  vegetable  production. 
Its  currents  trace  the  circumference  of  the  globe,  and 
its  vibrations  reach  to  the  depths  of  its  centre.  The 
precious  metals  shut  up  in  the  rifted  chasm,  and  the 
glittering  gems  hidden  in  the  darkness  of  the  solid  rock, 
are  indebted  for  their  value  and  brilliancy  to  its  potent 
influence.  And  while  this  element  moves  thus  on  its 
appointed  errands  with  the  velocity  of  thought,  and  has 


TEE    SECOND    DAY.  I33 

power  to  rend  the  heavens,  and  shake  the  mountains, 
yet  we  find  it  so  safely  curbed  and  restrained,  that  for 
the  most  part,  it  floats  around  our  path  innocuous  as 
the  gentlest  zephyr.  Who  that  intelligently  contem- 
plates all  this,  but  must  also  admire  and  adore  its 
Divine  Author ! 

Awe  and  reverence  are  not  the  only  lessons  taught 
us  by  this  mysterious  element.  Let  us  again  trace  it 
in  one  of  its  more  familiar  operations.  The  day  opens 
bright  and  warm ;  its  earlier  hours  pass  full  of  promise. 
But  presently  its  sky  begins  to  be  invaded  by  unlooked- 
for  clouds  ;  these  roll  up,  expand,  and  soon  overspread 
the  whole  heaven  ;  the  sun  is  shut  out ;  omnious  gloom 
pervades  the  expanse.  And  now  startling  flashes 
gleam  through  the  massy  clouds,  or  fiercely  dart  down 
to  the  earth.  Rain  and' hail  descend  commingled;  and 
fitful  winds  miite  with  thunder  to  add  to  the  terror  of 
the  scene.  For  a  time  disaster  and  destruction  seem  to 
threaten  all.  We  wait  in  dread  suspense.  At  length 
the  storm  has  spent  its  force,  and  dies  away.  Look 
now  abroad,  and  survey  the  consequences.  Lo  !  what 
a  happy  transfiguration  of  all  nature  !  The  sultry  and 
ojDpressive  atmosphere  is  gone.  The  sun  shines  forth 
with  softened  splendor.  The  air  has  recovered  its 
healthful  spring  and  life.  The  foliage  glistens  with 
golden  drops,  and  the  landscape,  refreshed  by  the  co- 
pious rain,  laughs  in  every  part  at  those  dread  storm- 
clouds  now  fading  on  the  distant  horizon.  Nature  lifts 
her  drooping  head,  and,  shaking  the  moisture  from  her 


134  THE    SECOND    DAY. 

foliage  tresses,  smiles  as  beauty  does  through  its  bridal 
tears,  to  see  her  fair  world  blessed  and  renovated  by  the 
storm.  So,  reader,  it  is  also  with  the  storms  of  life. 
These,  in  like  manner,  however  they  may  startle  or  dis- 
ma}^,  are  sent  in  mercy — sent  to  clear  your  moral  at- 
mosphere, and  to  restore  health  to  your  soul.  And  the 
tempest  which  you  think  you  see  even  now  gathering 
on  your  horizon,  and  which  so  much  alarms  yon,  may 
be  charged  hy  the  Sovereign  Ruler  of  all  to  bear  for  you 
under  its  dark  wings  a  benefit,  a  blessing,  that  you 
know  not  of  He  that  sitteth  above  the  heavens  often 
extracts  from  the  blackest  clouds  the  most  refreshing 
drops  of  mercy,  and  from'  the  furious  tempest  evolves 
the  happiest  results. 

SNOW  AND  HAIL. 

He  giveth  snoiv  like  wool,  and  easteth  forth  his  ice  like  morsels. 

Snow  and  hail,  like  the  rain,  come  down  to  us  from 
the  great  laboratory  of  the  firmament.  Snow  consists 
of  vapors  frozen  while  the  particles  are  small ;  in  other 
words,  it  is  crystallized  water.  When  a  flake  is  examined 
through  a  magnifying  glass,  the  whole  of  it  appears 
composed  of  fine,  shining  spicula,  diverging  like  rays 
from  the  centre.  As  the  flakes  descend  through  the 
atmosphere,  they  are  continually  joined  by  more  of 
these  radiated  spicula,  and  thus  increase  in  bulk,  like 
the  drops  of  rain.  They  are  of  various  forms,  all  very 
beautiful   after  their  kind.     They  differ  in  size  from 


SNOW  FLAKES. 


THE  SECOND  DAY.  l;]5 

one-third  to  one-thirtieth  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  Snow 
occurs  in  all  regions  of  the  globe  at  a  certain  height 
above  the  level  of  the  sea;  but  it  falls  more  abun- 
dantly on  plains  as  we  proceed  from  the  equator  toward 
the  poles. 

Hail  is  a  more  compact  mass  of  frozen  water.  These 
congealed  drops  assume  various  figures — round,  p^'ra- 
midal,  flat,  angular,  and  sometimes  stellated  with  six 
radii,  like  a  small  crystal  of  snow.  When  hailstones 
are  broken  open,  they  are  sometimes  found  within  to 
be  of  a  spungy  structure ;  sometimes  the  interior  jDre- 
sents  a  very  beautiful  radiated  appearance ;  and,  not 
unfrequently,  exhibit  regular  and  very  remarkable 
concentric  plates.  They  vary  in  size  from  that  of  a 
grain  of  mustard  to  masses  an  inch,  and  sometimes  two 
inches,  in  diameter. 

These  frozen  meteors,  like  everything  else,  have  their 
use  in  the  economy  of  nature.  Snow  is  a  beneficent 
provision  made  for  the  benefit  of  the  higher  latitudes 
of  the  earth,  where  the  winters  are  severe.  Extreme 
cold  being  destructive  to  vegetation,  God  appointed 
that  the  vapors  which,  in  summer,  unite  their  jiarticles 
and  fall  in  rain  to  refresh  and  nourish  all  the  vegetable 
tribes,  should,  in  winter,  descend  like  soft  wool  to  cover 
and  protect  them  from  injury  from  the  extreme  cold. 
Though  cold  in  itself,  yet  by  settling  into  a  compact 
layer,  it  prevents  the  internal  heat  of  the  earth  from 
escaping.  Careful  observations  have  shown  that  the 
lower  surface  of  the  snow  seldom  falls  much  below  32° 


136  TnE    SECOND    DAY. 

Fahr.,  although  the  temperature  of  the  air  outside  may 
be  many  degrees  below  the  freezing  point.  It  thus 
forms  a  safe  covering  to  the  more  tender  herbs,  till  the 
rigor  of  winter  gives  place  to  the  genial  influence  of 
spring.  But  for  this  provision  many  regions  of  the 
earth  that  are  now  peopled  would  be  uninhabitable,  as 
nearly  all  vegetation  would  be  utterly  destroyed  by  the 
intensity  of  the  winter's  cold.  To  all  this  we  may  add 
the  fact,  that  the  nitrous  particles  contained  in  snow 
are  said  to  be  of  a  fertilizing  quality,  and  to  benefit 
vegetation. 

REFLECTIONS. 

From  the  least  to  the  greatest,  the  works  of  God  are 
worthy  of  himself  The  snow-flakes  that  fall  upon  our 
path  speak  their  Maker  to  be  a  Being  of  infinite  perfec- 
tions. See  yonder  fleecy  cloud  approaching,  extending 
for  many  miles  in  every  direction,  and  showering  upon 
the  land  its  downy  flakes  in  unnumbered  millions  : 
every  one  of  those  flakes,  countless  as  they  are,  has 
been  formed  after  its  proper  model ;  each  particle  has 
its  precise  place  and  position,  and  every  point  its 
proper  acuteness  and  direction.  These  beautiful  little 
snow  stars  present  us  wdth  a  variety  of  forms,  while 
every  one  is  of  a  figure  and  symmetry  perfectly  geometri- 
cal. Some  have  three  sides  and  angles,  some  six, 
some  eight,  and  some  more :  some  are  like  sparkling 
crosses,  and  some  like  the  leaves  of  open  flowers ;  some 
appear  like  single  stars,  others  like  a  cluster  of  stars 
arranged  in  the  most  beautiful  order.     Each  flake  is 


TUE    SECOND   DAY.  I37 

formed  with  nothing  less  than  art  and  skill  Divine. 
Although  all  may  be  destroyed  by  half  an  hour's  rain 
or  sunshine,  yet  not  one  has  been  neglected,  not  one 
has  been  slighted  or  imperfectly  formed.  Every  one  of 
the  myriad  myriads  that  cover  the  earth  in  winter  has 
been  fashioned  with  as  much  correctness  and  beauty  as 
if  expressly  designed  for  examination :  and  every  one 
attests  the  presence  and  agency  of  the  Divine  Being  in 
its  formation. 

To  the  enlightened  and  devout  mind,  every  season 
has  its  charms.  Even  mid-winter  has  its  peculiar  in- 
terests to  the  Christian  student.  How  beautiful  is  the 
face  of  nature  when  the  morning  sun  rises  clear  upon  a 
country  embosomed  in  snow !  How  delightful  to  be- 
hold the  hills  and  the  valleys  mantled  in  pure  white, 
and  reflecting  the  sun-beams,  in  varied  tints,  from  a 
thousand  points.  How  beauteous  the  grove,  and  each 
particular  tree  robed  in  fleecy  whiteness,  and  sparkling 
beneath  the  early  sun ;  and  the  icy  bosom  of  the  lake 
and  the  stream,  like  mirrors,  receiving  and  reflecting 
the  images  of  the  rocks  and  the  hills,  and  of  the  flying 
clouds  and  bending  trees !  What  a  delightful  combi- 
nation of  objects !  What  a  splendid  and  dazzling  array 
does  the  earth  now  present !  0  Lord,  truly  "  the 
rolling  year  is  full  of  thee  !" 


138  THE   SECOND   DAY. 

THE  AIR  AS  A  MEDIUM. 

And  God  saw  the  firmament  that  it  ivas  good. 

Besides  the  wonderful  properties  and  functions  at 
which  we  have  looked,  the  atmosphere  is  the  appointed 
medium  of  many  other  inestimable  benefits  to  the  Avorld 
in  which  we  live,  which  we  can  but  barely  mention. 

While  the  sun  is  the  great  source  of  light,  yet  the 
co-operation  of  the  atmosphere  to  diffuse  that  light  is 
essential  to  the  proper  illumination  of  the  earth.  To 
the  atmosphere  we  are  to  ascribe  the  sweet  glories  of 
the  day,  the  delicious  blue  of  the  heavens,  and  the  soft 
and  soothing  shades  of  the  landscape.  Without  it  the 
sky  would  be  black  as  ebony,  and  out  of  it  the  sun 
would  gleam  like  a  red-hot  ball ;  and  his  beams,  like  a 
ray  passing  through  an  aperture  into  a  dark  room, 
would  reveal  only  the  objects  on  wdiich  they  fell,  or 
those  from  which  they  were  directly  reflected.  Without 
atmosphere  there  would  be  no  twilight,  morning  or 
evening ;  the  sun,  at  the  commencement  of  day,  would, 
at  one  bound,  burst  from  the  bosom  of  night  in  all  its 
unbearable  brilliancy ;  and,  at  the  close  of  day,  would 
suddenly  plunge  out  of  view,  and  leave  us  at  once  in 
utter  darkness.  To  the  atmosj^here  we  owe  all  the 
glories  of  the  setting  sun,  when  heaven  puts  on  her 
most  gorgeous  robes,  and  for  all  the  loveliness  of  the 
softening  twilight  that  succeeds. 

By  means  of  the  atmosphere  birds  wing  their  way 


TffE  'SECOND    DAY.  I39 

through  space,  and  insects  jflit  from  flower  to  flower. 
Without  it  the  busy  bee  could  never  gather  and  lay  up 
her  nectar  store,  or  the  morning  lark  ascend  on  high  to 
pour  forth  her  early  song.  Without  it  even  the  eagle 
and  the  condor  would  flap  their  wings  in  vain ;  flight 
would  be  impossible. 

The  atmosphere  is  also  the  vehicle  of  smell,  by  which 
we  are  warned  of  what  is  unwholesome  or  offensive, 
and  attracted  to  wdiat  is  desirable  and  pleasing.  With- 
out it  we  should  never  be  regaled  with  the  perfume 
of  incense,  or  the  sweet  odors  of  flowers  from  garden  or 
field. 

The  atmosphere  is  likewise  the  medium  of  sound. 
In  its  absence  eternal  silence  must  have  reigned;  con- 
versation could  have  been  carried  on  by  signs  only, 
while  music  would  have  remained  an  impossibility — 
that  is,  supposing  that,  under  such  circumstances,  men 
could  have  existed  to  converse  or  sing.  The  vibrations 
of  the  air,  like  speedy  messengers,  are  what  convey  our 
thoughts  to  others,  and  those  of  others  to  us.  The  air 
is  the  channel  through  which  man  holds  communion 
with  his  felloW' s,  and  receives  the  indescribable  pleasures 
that  spring  from  the  words  of  friendship,  the  voice  of 
love,  and  all  the  soothing  charms  of  melody. 

REFLECTIONS. 

There  is  a  theology  in  nature  as  well  as  in  the  Bible, 
and  these  two,  rightly  interpreted,  agree  in  one.  There 
is  a  deep  and  broad  theology  in  the  constitution  of  the 


140  THE   SECOND    DAY. 

Firmament,  which  we  have  now  contemplated,  that,  in 
harmony  with  the  Scripture,  ascribes  to  the  Creator  the 
perfection  of  wisdom,  power  and  goodness.  The  atmos- 
phere constitutes  a  machinery  which,  in  all  its  compli- 
cated and  admirable  adjustments,  offers  the  most 
striking  displays  and  convincing  proofs  of  this.  This 
vast  and  wonderful  appendage  of  our  globe  has  been 
made  expressly  to  meet  the  nature  and  wants  of  the 
living  creatures  and  growing  vegetation  that  occupy  its 
surface ;  and  all  these  plants  and  animals  have  been 
created  with  distinct  reference  to  the  properties  of  the 
atmosphere.  Throughout  design  and  mutual  adapta- 
tion are  most  manifest. 

The  atmosphere  has  been  composed  of  tliose  elements, 
and  composed  of  them  in  just  the  proportions  that  are 
essential  to  the  health  and  nurture  of  all  living  crea- 
tures. 

The  atmosphere  has  been  made  for  lunrjs  ;  and  lungs 
have  been  made  for  the  atmosphere,  being  elaborately 
constructed  for  its  alternate  admission  and  expulsion. 
And  how  beautiful  that  adjustment  by  which  animals 
breathe  of  the  oxygen  of  the  air,  and  set  carbonic  acid 
free  for  the  use  of  plants,  while  plants  absorb  carbonic 
acid,  and  set  oxygen  free  for  the  benefit  of  animals  I 

The  atmosphere  and  the  ear  have  also  been  formed 
one  for  the  other.  This  organ  is  so  constructed  that  its 
use  depends  entirely  upon  the  elastic  properties  of 
the  air. 

In  like  manner  the  atmosphere  and  the  organs  of 


THE    SECOND    DAY.  -[  \\ 

speech  have  been  formed  in  mutual  adaptation.  The 
whole  mouth,  the  larynx,  the  tongue,  the  lips,  have 
been  made  with  inimitable  skill  to  form  air  into  words. 

Equally  evident  is  the  mutual  adaptation  of  the  at- 
mosphere and  the  organs  of  smell,  as  the  latter  can  effect 
their  function  only  in  connection  with  the  former. 

In  one  word,  all  the  parts  of  all  animal  organizations, 
even  to  the  very  pores  of  the  skin,  have  been  contrived 
with  minute  nicety  in  adaptation  to  the  constituent 
elements  and  elastic  properties  of  the  atmosphere. 

Add  to  all  the  foregoing,  its  admirable  qualities  for 
disseminating  heat,  evaporating  moisture,  equalizing 
climate,  producing  winds,  forming  clouds,  and  diffusing 
light^ — and  w^e  behold  in  the  Firmament  of  heaven  a 
concourse  of  vast  contrivances,  that  constitute  A  sublime 
ANTHEM  to  the  Creator's  praise ! 

"  The  contemplation  of  the  atmosphere,"  says  AVhe- 
well,  "  as  a  machine  W' liich  answers  all  these  purposes, 
is  well  suited  to  impress  upon  us  the  strongest  convic- 
tion of  the  most  refined,  far-seeing,  and  far-ruling  con- 
trivance. It  seems  impossible  to  suppose  that  these 
various  properties  were  so  bestowed  and  so  combined 
any  otherwise  than  by  a  beneficent  and  intelligent 
Being,  able  and  willing  to  diffuse  organization,  life, 
health,  and  enjoyment  through  all  parts  of  the  visible 
world ;  possessing  a  fertility  of  means  which  no  multi- 
plicity of  objects  could  exhaust,  and  a  discrimination 
of  consequences  which  no  complication  of  conditions 
could  embarrass." — Bridgewater  Treatise,  p.  74. 


142  THE  SECOND  DAY. 

The  various  elements  composing  the  atmosphere,  its 
gases,  and  vapors,  and  electricity,  are,  indeed,  as  if  in- 
stinct with  life  and  reason.  Animated  by  the  solar 
beams,  they  are  everywhere  in  busy  and  unerring  ac- 
tivity— sometimes  acting  singly,  sometimes  in  combi- 
nation, but  always  playing  into  each  other's  hands 
with  a  certainty  and  perfection  which  might  almost  be 
called  intelligence,  and  which  nothing  short  of  Infinite 
"Wisdom  could  have  devised.  Thus,  by  their  manifold 
and  beneficial  operations,  TJie  heavens  declare  the  glory 
of  God,  and  the  firmament  sliowetli  his  handi-worlc. 

"  There's  not  a  breeze 
Flies  o'er  the  meadow,  not  a  cloud  imbibes 
The  setting  sun's  effulgence ;   not  a  strain 
From  all  the  tenants  of  the  warbling  shade 
Ascends,  but  whence  the  heart  may  find 
Fresh  motives  to  devotion." 


Mt  &u  §^. 


The  Waters  are  collected,  the  Dry  Land  appears,  and  Vegetation  is  produced. 


THE   THIRD    DAY. 

Genesis  1 :  9-13. — And  God  said,  Let  the  waters  under  the  heaven  be 
gathered  together  unto  one  phxce,  and  lot  the  dry  land  appear  :  and  it 
was  so.  And  God  called  the  dry  laud  Earth ;  and  the  gathering  to- 
gether of  the  waters  called  he  Seas  :  and  God  saw  that  it  was  good. 
And  God  said,  Let  the  earth  bring  forth  grass,  the  herb  yielding  seed, 
and  the  fruit-tree  yieUUng  I'ruit  after  his  kind,  whose  seed  is  in  itself, 
upon  the  earth :  and  it  was  so.  And  the  earth  brought  fortli  grass,  and 
herb  yielding  seed  after  his  kind,  and  the  tree  yielding  fruit,  whose  seed 
was  in  itself,  after  his  kind.  And  God  saw  that  it  was  good.  And  the 
evening  and  the  morning  were  the  third  daJ^ 

J]  have  traced  the  earth  through  two  stages  of  the 
creative  process,  and  with  the  above  narration 
we  enter  upon  the  third.  A  great  advance  was 
made  the  two  preceding  days ;  we  have  now  a 
purer  air,  a  clearer  sk}^,  and  a  good  degree  of  light ;  but 
water  still  covers  all,  as  at  the  first ;  one  vast  and  shore- 
less ocean  envelops  the  globe.  And  the  first  work  of 
this  day  is  to  gather  the  waters  together,  and  make  a 
due  proportion  of  dry  land  appear. 

Aiid   God  said,  Let  the  waters  under  the  heaven  he 

i 

gathered  together  unto  one  ^^Zace,  and   let  the  dry  land 

appear.     No  sooner  had  this  command   been  uttered 

than  it  was  obeyed ;  for  it  is  immediately  added.  And  it 

was  so.     In  this  short  verse  we  have  recorded  one  of 

the  most  stupendous  physical  events  that  ever  occurred 
10  145 


14G  THE    THIRD   DAY. 

on  the  face  of  our  globe.  No  picture,  no  description  of 
the  occurrence  is  offered.  We  have  simply  set  before 
us  the  miditv  fact  in  its  naked  Gjrandeur.  A  scene  of 
wonders  is  here  passed  over  in  silence,  being,  perhaps, 
designedly  left  for  man's  future  investigation  and 
study. 

The  command  here  issued  to  the  waters  being  om- 
nific  and  immediately  effective,  must  have  been  fol- 
lowed by  vast  and  fearful  convulsions  of  the  earth's 
crust.  The  j^ortions  designed  for  the  future  continents 
were  upheaved,  while  far  more  extensive  portions  were 
depressed,  to  form  the  hollow  deeps,  into  which  the 
water  should  flow  and  gather,  to  constitute  the  future 
oceans.  In  this  way,  we  may  suppose,  did  the  dry  land 
appear.  The  scene  which  the  surface  of  our  planet  at 
this  eventful  hour  presented,  must  have  been  one  of 
supreme  and  terrific  grandeur.  We  know  of  no  lan- 
guage so  appropriate  to  set  forth  this  disjjlay  of  Divine 
power,  as  the  words  of  the  inspired  Psalmist,  '•  0  Lord 
my  God,  thou  art  very  great;  thou  art  clothed  with 
honor  and  majesty.  Thou  coveredst  the  earth  with  the 
deep  as  with  a  garment ;  the  waters  stood  above  the 
mountains.  At  thy  rebuke  they  fled ;  at  the  voice  of 
thy  thunder  they  hasted  away  to  the  place  thou  hadst 
founded  for  them.  Thou  hast  set  a  bound  that  they 
may  not  pass  over,  that  they  turn  not  again  to  cover 
the  earth," 

The  land,  as  elevated  from  the  depths  of  the  uni- 
versal ocean,  Avas,  of  course,  barren    and   l)are.     The 


THE  THIRD   DAY.  J47 

hollowed  valleys,  the  oozy  plahis,  and  the  tricklhig 
mountain  sides,  were  alike  destitute  of  all  vegetation  ; 
no  trees,  no  bushes,  no  grass,  as  yet,  adorned  the  wet 
and  slimy  ground.  Init  this  condition  of  things  was  to 
be  of  short  duration  ;  on  the  self-same  day  the  w^ord  went 
forth  that  stocked  the  earth  v  ith  all  sorts  of  trees,  and 
shrubs,  and  herbs,  and  grasses,  which  were  endowed 
with  power  to  reproduce  and  spread  their  kind  till  the 
earth  Avas  covered,  and  to  perpetuate  their  respective 
species  to  the  end  of  time.  And  the  earth  brought  forth 
gi'ciss,  and  herb  yielding  seed  after  his  Icind ;  and  the 
tree  yielding  fruit,  ivhose  seed  teas  in  itself,  after  his 
hind. 

And  God  saio  that  it  was  good;  saw  that  the  works 
of  this  day  were  all  wise  in  their  arrangements,  j^erfect 
in  their  execution,  and  Avell-fitted  for  their  respective 
ends. 

The  history  of  this  day  sets  before  us  an  extensive 
field  of  study.  To  notice  all  its  wonderful  works  in 
detail  is  not  practicable  in  this  work.  We  must,  there- 
fore, confine  ourselves  to  the  grand  results  accomplished, 
and  illustrate  the  wisdom,  power  and  goodness  of  the 
Creator,  as  displayed  in  the  sea,  the  dry  land,  the 
mountains  and  volcanoes,  the  rivers,  and  the  vegetation 
of  the  earth. 


148  THE   THIRD   DAY. 

THE   SEA. 
The  gathering  together  of  the  ivaters  called  He  Seas. 

When  the  commotions  produced  by  the  first  fiat  of 
this  da}'  hud  subsided,  and  tranquillity  in  the  waters 
had  been  restored,  it  appeared  that  the  ancient  ocean 
still  retained  his  dominion  over  full  three-fourths  of  the 
earth's  surface,  having  yielded  only  one-quarter  of  his 
former  empire  to  constitute  the  dry  land.  Thus  of  the 
197  millions  of  square  miles  embraced  in  the  area  of  the 
whole  globe,  145  millions  remained  covered  with  water, 
while  52  millions  comprehended  the  whole  of  the  dry 
land. 

A  superficial  and  hasty  view  of  this  arrangement  has 
led  some  to  entertain  the  idea,  that  no  proper  or  wise 
proportion  between  the  extent  of  land  and  that  of  water 
was  observed ;  and  presumptuously  to  assert  that  had 
the  Creator  adopted  a  different  division,  or  even  re- 
versed the  present  proportions,  so  that  three-fourths 
should  be  land  and  one-fourth  water,  it  would  have  been 
a  better  arrangement,  and  one  more  to  the  advantage 
of  the  human  race.  But  these  are  the  conclusions  of 
ignorance.  Who  can  undertake  to  tell  us  what  all  the 
consequences  would  be  if  any  such  change  should  take 
place  :  if,  for  example,  the  Pacific  were  converted  into 
a  continent,  or  Africa  into  an  ocean  ?  When  man  as- 
sumes to  pronounce  judgment  in  such  a  matter  as  this, 
he  evidently  adventures  into  depths  which  the  scanty 


THE   THIRD  DAY.  149 

line  of  his  reason  is  utterly  inadequate  to  fathom.  U" 
the  ocean  were  reduced  to  one-half  its  present  extent, 
the  amount  of  evaporation,  and  of  rain,  would  be  dimin- 
ished in  the  same  proportion ;  similar  disastrous  changes 
would  take  place  in  all  the  streams  and  rivers ;  the 
humidity  and  temperature  of  the  atmosphere,  together 
with  the  character  of  the  seasons  over  the  whole  earth, 
would  also  undergo  changes  of  a  most  calamitous  nor 
ture.  Such  strictures,  then,  on  the  Divine  plan  savor 
equally  of  ignorance  and  impiety.  He  who  Aveighed 
the  mountains  in  scales,  and  measured  the  waters  in 
the  hollow  of  his  hand,  we  may  be  assured,  hath  fixed 
the  bounds  of  the  sea,  and  determined  the  extent  of  the 
land,  with  wisdom  as  infallible  as  that  which  decided 
the  ratio  of  the  gases  in  the  atmosphere,  or  adjusted  the 
lenses  of  the  eye  for  the  perception  of  light.  Laplace, 
after  profound  calculations,  reached  the  conclusion  that 
the  quantity  of  water  in  the  ocean,  and  its  specific 
gravity,  as  compared  with  that  of  the  globe,  afford  the 
most  marked  and  beautiful  instance  of  designing  wis- 
dom and  goodness  in  the  creation  of  our  world. 

The  bottom  of  the  sea,  like  the  surface  of  the  land, 
abounds  in  the  inequalities  of  valleys,  plains  and  hills. 
In  those  parts  where  its  waters  are  tranquil,  trans- 
parent, and  not  too  deep,  one  may  lean  over  the  side 
of  his  boat,  and  see  that  he  is  gliding  sometimes  over 
meadows  carpeted  with  green ;  sometimes  across  dales 
adorned  with  what  seem  like  waving  vines  and  shrubs 
of  every  form  and  shade ;   sometimes  over   mountain- 


150  THE    THIRD  DAY. 

tops,  whose  sides  are  now  gentle  slopes  or  precipitous 
rocks,  and  now  adorned  with  groves  of  living  coral, 
branching  in  fantastic  imitations  of  the  shrubs  and  trees 
of  the  land;  the  whole  presenting  just  such  a  view  as 
an  aeronaut  would  observ^e  beneath  him  as  he  swept 
lowly  in  his  balloon  over  a  district  of  country.  The 
islands  are  but  the  tops  of  mountains  and  hills  that  are 
tall  enough  to  thrust  their  heads  above  water.  The  depth 
of  the  ocean,  therefore,  is  various.  Along  the  celebrated 
Telegraph  Plateau,  extending  from  Ireland  to  New- 
foundland, the  depth  ranges  from  10,000  to  12,000  feet. 
The  greatest  depth  yet  discovered  is  25,000  feet,  or 
nearly  five  miles ;  this  is  in  the  North  Atlantic.  The 
Pacific  is  supposed  to  be  deeper. 

An  important  and  interesting  property  of  the  sea  is 
its  saUaess.  Although  the  ocean  is  one  vast  briny  deep, 
ever  agitated  by  wind  and  tide,  yet  it  is  not  equally 
salty  in  all  its  parts.  In  general,  its  waters  are  im- 
pregnated with  from  three  to  four  j)er  cent,  of  salt.  In 
inland  seas,  like  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Caspian, 
where  evaporation  is  very  active,  it  is  from  eight  to 
twelve  per  cent.  On  the  other  hand  tlie  proportion  is 
smallest  in  the  polar  seas,  where  evaporation  is  feeble, 
and  where  great  quantities  of  fresh  water  from  the 
melting  ice  and  snow  How  in.  How  and  when  did  the 
sea  receive  its  saltness,  are  questions  of  interest.  Some 
have  supposed  that  it  has  derived  its  saline  quality 
from  the  vast  stores  of  salt  laid  up  among  the  strata  of 
the  earth  along  its  bottom ;  but  these  beds  of  salt  found 


THE    THIRD   DAY.  151 

ill  the  earth  exhibit  uiiinistakaljle  evidence  that  they 
themselves  have  been  deposited  from  the  waters  of  the 
sea.  Tlie  most  reasonable  supposition  is,  that  it  was 
made  salt  by  the  Creator  in  the  morning  of  time; 
indeed,  salt  seems  to  be  an  essential  element  in  the 
constitution  of  the  ocean  from  the  beginning,  as  it  acts 
an  important  part  (as  we  shall  soon  see,)  in  regulating 
its  evaporation,  in  producing  its  currents,  in  preserving 
it  from  corruption,  and  in  modifying  the  climates  even 
of  the  interior  of  continents.  The  entire  amount  of 
salt  held  in  solution  in  the  ocean  is  very  great ;  from  a 
safe  and  moderate  calculation  it  has  been  estimated, 
that  it  M'ould  cover  to  the  thickness  of  one  mile  an 
area  of  seven  millions  of  square  miles  ! 


THEORY  OF   THE  TIDES. 


Among    the  most  noticeable  and  important   move 
ments  to  which  the  waters  of  the  ocean  are  subject,  an 


152  THE    THIRD  DAY. 

the  Tides.  These  are  regular  and  periodical  oscilla- 
tions, occasioned  principally  by  the  attraction  of  the 
moon,  though  the  sun  also  has  an  influence  in  their 
formation ;  the  influence  of  the  moon  being  three  times 
that  of  the  sun.  Twice  every  twenty-four  hours  the 
waters  of  the  ocean  rise  and  flow  in  upon  the  shores, 
and  twice  within  the  same  period  they  retire.  The 
tides  are  greatest  at  the  new  and  full  moon,  when  the 
attractions  of  the  sun  and  moon  are  exerted  in  the 
same  line;  and  least  at  the  quadratures,  when  the 
influence  of  the  sun  goes  to  depress  the  waters  at  the 
very  parts  where  that  of  the  moon  is  exerted  to  raise 
them.  Under  these  influences  of  the  sun  and  moon,  a 
broad  wave  is  formed,  which  rushes  round  the  globe ; 
or  rather  seems  to  rush,  for  the  water  has  no  actual 
progressive  motion,  but  simply  heaves  upward  in 
succession,  like  the  waves  passing  over  a  field  of  stand- 
ing wheat.  The  height  of  the  tidal  billow  varies  in 
different  places,  according  to  the  depth  of  the  sea,  and 
the  conformation  of  surrounding  lands.  In  the  open 
ocean  it  seldom  rises  above  two  or  three  feet.  In 
channels  that  open  fairly  to  receive  the  flood,  but 
whose  shores  contract  as  it  advances,  it  mounts  higher 
and  higher.  At  St.  Maloes  it  exceeds  fifty  feet;  and 
in  the  Bay  of  Fundy  a  wave  of  one  hundred  feet  high 
sweeps  in  upon  the  shore.  The  rate  at  which  the 
tidal  wave  travels  is  affected  by  similar  causes  ;  across 
the  southern  ocean  it  advances  at  the  rate  of  nearly  a 
thousand  miles  an  hour ;  while  in  the  German  sea  its 


THE   THIRD   DAY.  ] -3 

progress  is  hardly  fifty  miles  an  hour.  The  tides  are 
to  many  places  of  great  commercial  importance,  giving 
to  inland  towns  the  advantages  of  a  harbor.  But  for 
the  tides,  London  would  never  have  been  what  it  is, 
the  foremost  commercial  city  in  the  world. — What  a 
marvellous  and  beneficial  arrangement  have  we  here  ! 
The  moon,  an  orb  revolving  at  the  distance  of  tw^o 
hundred  and  forty  thousand  miles,  so  constituted  as  to 
exert  a  mighty  and  unremitting  power  for  our  good ; 
lifting  the  waters  of  our  planet  in  magnificent  and 
periodical  waves,  to  fill  and  empty  our  harbors,  to  wash 
our  beaches  with  majestic  rollers,  and  to  maintain  a 
regular  pulse  in  the  great  ocean  heart,  by  which  its 
life  and  purity  are  perpetuated. 

Besides  the  tides,  there  are  in  the  ocean  other  estab- 
lished and  uniform  movements.  Here,  as  in  the 
atmosphere,  solar  influence  is  the  moving  power.  In 
the  exhalations  that  arise  under  this  influence  from 
the  surface  of  the  sea,  not  a  particle  of  the  salt  it  con- 
tains ascends.  Hence  in  the  intertropical  regions,  the 
great  amount  of  evaporation  which  takes  place  leaves 
behind  it  a  great  amount  of  salt,  which  renders  the 
waters  saltier,  and,  consequently,  heavier.  In  the  polar 
region,  on  the  contrary,  the  slowness  of  evaporation, 
together  with  melting  snows  and  glaciers,  contributes 
to  keep  the  ocean  waters  fresh  and  light.  Hence 
results  a  perpetual  circulation  in  the  sea — the  salt  and 
heavy  waters  of  the  equatorial  region  sink  and  flow 
along  the  bottom  toward   the  poles  to  displace   their 


154  THE    THIRD  DAY. 

lighter  and  fresher  waters,  while  these  in  consequence 
are  forced  into  a  contrary  current  along  the  surface 
toward  the  equator,  to  fill  up  the  vacancy  which  the 
dense  water  leaves  behind.  In  this  way  there  is  main- 
tained in  the  groat  oceans  of  the  globe  a  perpetual 
circulation  from  the  equator  to  the  poles,  and  from  the 
poles  to  the  equator ;  and  thus  every  drop  of  the  ocean, 
down  to  its  dark  unfathomed  caves,  is  kept  in  constant 
motion  and  exchange. 

The  sea  has  its  Streams  as  well  as  its  general  cur- 
rents. Nothing  can  be  more  striking  than  the  fact, 
that  the  oceans  of  our  globe  are  traversed  by  rivers 
that  How  as  definitely  and  as  regularly  as  the  Danube 
or  the  Nile.  Their  channels  are  established,  and  for 
thousands  of  miles  they  pursue  their  course  along  beds 
and  between  banks  of  other  and  different  water,  as 
fixed  as  if  built  of  granite  rock.  And  if  the  ship- 
wrecked mariner  commits  his  raft  to  one  of  these,  it 
will  conduct  him  along  its  known  and  established  route, 
as  certainly  as  that  the  Mississippi  would  carry  him 
down  past  New  Orleans. 

The  most  remarkable  of  these  ocean  rivers  is  the 
famous  Gulf  Stream,  so  named  from  the  fact  that  it 
was  long  supposed  to  originate  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico ; 
it  receives  its  first  impulse,  according  to  Humboldt, 
near  the  southern  extremity  of  Africa.  From  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  this  stream  flows  into  the  Atlantic 
between  Florida  and  Cuba,  whence  it  runs  northward 
nearly  parallel  to  the  American  coast,  until  it  reaches 


THE   THIRD   DAV.  I55 

Nova  Scotia  and  Newfoundland,  where  it  makes  a 
great  bend,  and  throws  one  branch  downwards  toward 
the  Azores,  while  the  other  spreads  and  flows  north- 
ward toward  the  British  Islands,  and  thence  to  tlie 
Polar  sea.  Of  this  magnificent  river,  the  banks  and 
bottom  are  of  cold  water,  and  its  stream  is  of  warm 
water;  it  is  seventy  miles  Avide,  three  thousand  feet 
deep,  and  is  equal  in  volume  to  more  than  a  thousand 
Mississippis.  In  the  Gulf  of  Florida  its  speed  is  about 
eighty  miles  a  day,  but  by  the  time  it  reaches  the 
Azores  it  has  been  reduced  to  ten  miles.  Its  color,  as 
far  as  the  coasts  of  the  Carolinas,  is  that  of  Indigo-blue; 
and  its  banks  or  edges  are  so  well  defined  that  the 
mariner  knows  the  moment  his  prow  dips  into  its 
flood;  and  often,  says  Maury,  one-half  of  the  vessel 
may  be  perceived  floating  in  the  Gulf  Stream  water, 
wdiile  the  other  half  is  in  the  common  water  of  the  sea. 
The  middle  of  this  stream  is  found  to  be  considerably 
higher  than  its  edges,  so  that  it  actually  constitutes  a 
kind  of  serpentine  ridge  upon  the  surface  of  the  ocean : 
and  what  is  more  remarkable  still,  it  flows  up-hill ;  in 
one  part  of  its  course,  the  gradient  of  its  bed  is  not  less 
than  five  or  six  feet  in  the  mile.  But  what  is  most 
noticeable  of  all  is  its  temperature  and  inlluence  on 
climate.  This  is  very  marked.  In  the  early  histor\- 
of  the  United  States,  vessels  in  approaching  the  coast 
in  winter,  were  beset  by  snow  storms  and  gales,  that 
not  unfrequently  baflled  the  strength  and  skill  of  the 
seaman.     A  ship  often  became  a  mass  of  ice,  and  her 


156  THE   THIRD   DAY. 

crew  frosted  and  helpless ;  but  if  she  succeeded  in 
reaching  the  Gulf  Stream,  all  was  well ;  on  approach- 
ing its  edge  she  passed  from  a  wintry  sea  into  one  of 
summer  heat.  The  ice  disappeared  from  the  ship,  and 
"  the  sailors  bathed  their  stiffened  limbs  in  the  tepid 
waters  of  the  stream."  It  leaves  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
at  a  temperature  of  8G°,  and  after  traversing  10°  of 
latitude,  it  has  lost  only  2°  of  its  heat ;  and  after  run- 
ning nearly  three  thousand  miles  northward,  it  still 
preserves,  in  winter,  the  heat  of  summer.  Continuing 
on  its  way,  it  presently  "overflows  its  liquid  banks, 
and  spreads  itself  for  thousands  of  square  leagues  over 
the  cold  waters  around,  covering  the  ocean  with  a 
mantle  of  warmth."  And  the  genial  west  winds  take 
this  up,  and  in  the  most  benignant  manner,  disj^erse  it 
over  all  the  west  coast  of  Europe,  delightfully  soften- 
ing and  ameliorating  its  climate. 

It  is  by  this  means  and  in  this  way  that  the  British 
Islands  are  clothed  with  evergreen  robes,  and  their 
inhabitants  advanced  to  the  highest  development  of 
mind  and  body ;  Avhile  in  the  same  latitude,  Labrador 
is  bound  in  ice,  its  vegetation  sparse  and  stinted,  and 
its  inhabitants  low-tyf)ed,  and  not  likely  soon,  if  ever, 
to  act  any  high  part  in  the  history  of  the  race.  How 
deeply  indebted,  therefore,  is  the  favored  Briton  for  his 
proud  pre-eminence  to  this  ocean  stream.  Divert  its 
flow  from  his  shores,  and  his  glory  is  departed.  "  If  a 
change  were  to  take  place  in  the  configuration  of  the 
surface  of  the  globe,"  says  Mr.  Iloj^kins  in  his  address 


THE    THIRD  DAY. 


157 


to  the  British  Association,  "  so  as  to  admit  the  passage 
of  this  current  directly  into  the  Pacific,  across  the 
existing  Isthmus  of  Panama,  or  along  the  base  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  into  the  North  sea — a  change  indefi- 
nitely small  in  comparison  to  those  which  have  hereto- 
fore taken  place — our  mountains,  Avliich  now  present 
to  us  the  ever-varjing  beauties  of  successive  seasons, 
would  become  the  unvarying  abodes  of  the  glacier,  and 
regions  of  the  snow  storm ;  the  cultivation  of  our  soil 
could  be  no  longer  maintained,  and  civilization  itself 
must  retreat  before  the  invasion  of  such  jDhysical  bar- 
barism." Could  anything  then,  be  more  palpable  than 
the  advantages  of  such  a  glowing  stream  ?  Or,  could 
benevolent  design  be  more  conspicuously  inscribed  upon 
any  work  of  this  lower  creation  ? 

Scarcely  less  remarkable  is  another  stream  that 
flows  partly  in  close  proximity  to  the  Gulf  Stream,  but 
in  the  opposite  direction,  and  which  is  thus  graphically 
described  by  Dr.  Child  :  "  Side  by  side  with  this  warm 
northward-moving  flood  (the  Gulf  Stream)  there  is  a 
great  polar  stream  bearing  down  in  an  opposite  direc- 
tion, which  appears  to  be  more  especially  its  compensa- 
tory current.  It  rises  in  the  distant  recesses  of  Baflin's 
Bay  and  the  Greenland  sea,  and  then,  studded  with 
icebergs,  sweeps  along  the  coast  of  Labrador,  encircling 
the  island  of  Newfoundland  in  its  chill  embrace.  To 
the  south  of  the  Bank  it  encounters  the  Gulf  Stream 
running  northeastward ; — the  paths  of  the  two  giants 
cross  each  other,  and  they  struggle  fur  the  right  of 


158  THE    THIRD   DAY. 

way.  Their  hostile  waters  refuse  to  mingle,  and  each 
continues  to  retain  its  color  and  its  temperature.  But, 
though  neither  is  vanquished,  each  leaves  its  mark 
upon  the  other.  From  the  force  of  the  shock,  the  Gulf 
Stream,  for  a  moment,  Mters  in  its  course,  and  is 
deflected  towards  the  south ;  while  the  Polar  current, 
unable  to  break  through  the  concentrated  mass  by 
which  it  is  opposed,  dives  under  the  bed  of  the  mighty 
stream  and  hastens  on  toward  the  tropics ; — and  by 
soundings,  it  can  be  recognized  even  among  the  West 
India  Islands,  with  the  cold  label  of  its  origin  still 
attached  to  it." 

Streams  of  a  like  character  with  those  now  described 
are  found  in  other  parts  of  the  ocean.  In  the  Pacific 
there  is  a  stream,  like  that  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
which  breathes  the  most  genial  influence  upon  Oregon 
and  British  Columbia,  giving  those  regions  a  climate  in 
all  respects  very  similar  to  that  of  England  and 
Ireland.  On  the  other  side,  Humbolt's  Stream,  pro- 
ceeding from  the  Antarctic  Ocean,  conveys  its  cooling 
waters  to  the  shores  of  Chili  and  Peru,  and  even  as  far 
as  the  Gallipagos. 

Such  is  an  outline  of  the  Tides,  Currents,  and 
Streams,  which  the  All-wise  Creator  saw  necessary  to 
establish  in  the  ocean.  Several  results  of  a  most 
important  nature  were  to  be  accomplished  through  this 
arrangement.  By  this  perpetual  circulation  of  all  the 
waters  of  the  Deep,  its  purity  and  its  life  are  preserved. 
And  by  means  of  these  currents  and  streams  from  and 


TUE   THIRD   DAY.  151) 

toward  the  equator,  the  heated  waters  of  the  tropics 
are  conveyed  to  reUeve  the  rigor  of  the  poles  ;  and  tlie 
freezing  waters  of  the  poles  are  carried  to  refresh  the 
regions  of  the  tropics.  By  this  beautiful  arrangement 
the  climate  of  the  whole  globe  is  equaliz.ed  and 
improved.  To  all  this  we  may  add  the  interesting 
fact,  that  the  streams  which  flow  from  the  Polar  Seas 
toward  the  equator  carry  along  with  them  a  vast 
amount  of  excellent  fish  from  those  colder  latitudes ; 
and  in  this  way  the  inhabitants  of  the  Avarmer  regions 
are  furnished  with  a  supply  far  superior  to  those  bred 
in  their  own  heated  waters.  Thus  these  cold  and 
warm  streams  are  the  great  highways  along  which  the 
inhabitants  of  the  Deep  travel  from  one  region  of  the 
globe  to  another. 

REFLECTIONS. 

The  great  and  wide  sea  !  What  a  sublime  memo- 
rial of  the  power  that  gathered  together  its  waters ! 
What  a  perpetual  display  of  the  omnipotence  which 
confines  its  unstable  mass  within  its  appointed  bounds  ! 
Symbol  of  the  Infinite  !  it  holds  us  as  by  a  spell  in 
contemplation  of  its  vastness  and  grandeur,  reaching 
far  beyond  our  utmost  horizon,  simultaneouslj-  lashing 
so  many  distant  shores,  and  encompassing  all  the  king- 
doms of  the  earth.  And  when  we  view  it  as  agitated 
into  the  violence  and  uproar  of  a  tempest,  and  see  its 
huge  and  far-reaching  waves,  like  floating  mountains, 
rushing,  leaping  for  the  shore,  as  if  to  scale  and  over- 


160  THE    THIRD  DAY. 

whelm  its  loftiest  ramparts,  yet  each  in  its  turn,  as  if 
suddenly  awed,  subsiding  and  retiring  at  the  line 
decreed — we  feel  a  sacred  impulse  from  the  magnificent 
spectacle  to  fall  down  and  worship  Him  who  said, 
"  Hitherto  shalt  thou  come,  and  no  further ;  and  here 
shall  thy  proud  waves  be  stayed !" 

The  material  globe  in  its  outlines  of  land  and  water, 
and  in  its  manifold  and  complicated  arrangements,  is 
a  pictorial  7-evelation  of  the  conceptions,  reasonings, 
and  purposes  which  before  lay  in  the  Divine  Mind. 
When  the  waters  gathered  themselves,  it  was  not  at 
random,  but  in  strict  conformity  to  his  plan ;  and 
when  their  currents  began  to  circulate,  it  was  not  the 
result  of  chance,  but  of  his  prescience.  As  He  sur- 
veyed the  surface  of  the  earth  at  the  close  of  the  da^^. 
He  beheld  only  what  had  been  mapped  in  His  own 
mind  carried  out  and  ^perfected.  Hence  He  pro- 
nounced its  arrangements  all  to  be  "  very  good." 

In  the  process  of  the  world's  creation,  every  step 
taken  had  respect  to  something  beyond  itself,  whilst 
the  whole  had  reference  to  man,  its  coming  occupant. 
In  adjusting  the  various  agencies  that  combine  to  pro- 
duce the  currents  and  streams  of  the  ocean,  the  Creator 
was  deciding  the  inheritance,  and  in  no  small  measure 
also  the  character  and  history  of  nations  3-ct  unborn. 
How  unsearchable  are  his  counsels,  and  his  ways  past 
finding  out !  As  He  was  describing  the  shore  curves, 
which  were  to  bound  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  on  one  side 
of  the  Atlantic,  He  was  graduating  the  tempera t'.^vj 


THE    rilIRD  DAY.  ](;] 

that  was  to  prevail  in  Great  Britain  on  the  other. 
Had  the  course  of  the  stream  issuing  from  that  Gulf 
been  directed  to  breathe  its  genial  warmth  on  the 
coasts  of  Labrador,  instead  of  the  British  Isles,  how 
different  had  been  the  respective  histories  of  the 
inhabitants  of  these  two  countries — how  different, 
indeed,  had  been  the  history  of  the  world !  But  for 
each,  the  times  and  bounds  were  before  appointed. 
To  understand  the  physical  arrangements  of  our  globe 
we  must  elevate  ourselves  to  contemplate  its  moral 
ends.  "The  physical  world,"  sajs  Guyot,  "has  no 
meaning  except  by  and  for  the  moral  world."  The 
two  are  to  be  studied  in  their  mutual  relations  and 
dependencies;  and  grand,  indeed,  are  the  harmonies 
subsisting  between  them. 

He  who  poured  into  their  decreed  place  the  waters 
of  the  sea,  hath  power  also  to  dry  them  up  again.  But 
will  He  ever  do  this  ?  The  scripture  more  than  sug- 
gests the  idea.  "  And  I  saw  a  new  heaven,  and  a  new 
earth;  for  the  first  heaven,  and  the  first  earth  were 
passed  away ;  and  there  ivas  no  more  sea."  This  is  said 
of  our  world  when  it  shall  have  passed  its  final  trans- 
formation, and  been  made  the  fitting  abode  of  holiness. 
Great  and  marvellous  are  the  changes  through  which 
our  globe  has  already  passed,  but  if  we  are  to  take 
these  words  of  John,  "and  there  was  no  more  sea,"  in 
their  literal  meaning,  and  as  setting  forth  one  of  the 
marked  features  of  the  renovated  earth,  as  it  appeared 

to   him  in   vision,  it  would   seem   that  a  greater  and 
11 


162  THE   THIRD  DAY. 

more  wonderful  change  than  all  these  yet  awaits  it. 
The  earth  without  sea !  then  it  must  be  without 
streams,  or  springs,  or  clouds,  or  rain,  or  dew.  Then, 
too,  the  whole  of  its  present  system  of  vegetation, 
together  with  all  its  animated  tenants  must  pass  away, 
for  the  sea  is  the  vital  fountain  which  sustains  these  in 
being.  As  organized  existences  are  now  constituted, 
dry  up  the  sea,  and  our  fair,  green  planet  would  become 
a  desolate  mass  of  bare,  brown  soil  and  rock  and  sand, 
without  a  living  tenant,  without  a  flowing  brook,  with- 
out a  motion  or  a  sound — the  stillness  and  silence  of 
death  would  reign  throughout.  If,  therefore,  the  New 
Earth  is  to  be  constituted  without  a  sea,  how  different 
it  must  be  from  every  thing  that  we  now  know,  or  can 
even  conceive.  How  this  globe  will  then  be  decked, 
how  furnished,  how  adorned,  or  what  will  constitute 
the  chief  terrestrial  delights  of  its  happy  inhabitants, 
we  cannot  tell.  But  this  we  do  know,  that  He  who  is 
infinite  in  wisdom  and  power,  can  introduce  new  ele- 
ments, effect  new  combinations,  breathe  a  new  atmos- 
phere, and  clothe  the  earth  with  new  and  etherial 
beauties,  such  as  never  even  bloomed  in  Eden ;  and 
thus  prepare  for  them  that  love  Him,  what  neither  eye 
hath  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  ever  entered  into  the 
heart  of  man. 


THE   THIRD  DAY.  163 

THE   DRY   LAND. 

And  God  said,  Let  the  dry  land  appear;  and  it  was  so. 

The  forces  employed  in  sinking  the  ocean  beds  ai\d 
elevating  the  dry  land,  vast  and  uncontrollable  as  they 
appear  to  man,  yet  in  the  hand  of  Omnipotence  were 
so  directed  and  governed  as  to  work  out  his  plan  at 
every  point,  in  the  forms,  elevations  and  positions  of 
all  the  continents  and  islands.  Not  one  of  these 
circumstances  was  left  to  chance,  for  not  one  of  them 
was  unimportant. 

The  OUTLINES  of  the  various  portions  of  the  dry  land 
are  extremely  various,  and  at  first  sight  appear  to  be 
as  much  the  result  of  accident  as  anything  well  can ; 
yet  the  indentations  of  the  coast  lines  were  designed  to 
have  a  most  important  bearing  upon  the  interests  of 
mankind,  by  furnishing  special  advantages  for  com- 
munication and  commercial  enterprise.  The  western 
coast  of  Europe,  and  the  eastern  coast  of  North 
America  are  among  the  most  irregular  and  deeply 
indented  on  the  globe ;  and  it  is  precisely  here  we  find 
science,  art  and  refinement  carried  to  their  highest 
degree; — contrasting  strongly  in  these  respects  with 
the  almost  unbroken  shores  of  Africa  and  Australia, 
where  the  human  race  appears  in  its  most  degraded 
types.  ''  Nothing  characterizes  Europe  better  than  the 
variety  of  its  indentations,  of  its  peninsulas,  of  its 
islands.     Suppose  for  a  moment,  that  beautiful  Italy, 


164  THE   THIRD  DAY. 

and  Greece  with  its  entire  Archipelago,  were  added  to 
the  central  mass  of  the  continent,  and  augmented 
Germany  or  Russia  by  the  number  of  square  miles  they 
contain ;  this  change  of  form  would  not  give  us 
another  Germany,  but  we  should  have  an  Italy  and  a 
Greece  the  less.  Unite  with  the  body  of  Europe  all  its 
islands  and  peninsulas  into  one  compact  mass,  and  in- 
stead of  this  continent,  so  rich  in  various  elements,  you 
will  have  a  New  Holland  with  all  its  uniformity."* 

Equally  conspicuous  is  the  presiding  wisdom  of  the 
Great  Architect  in  the  elevation  or  altitude  of  the 
dry  land.  Had  the  uplifting  power  been  a  little  less, 
or  ceased  to  operate  a  little  sooner,  how  widely  diifer- 
ent  had  been  the  aspect  of  our  world.  A  depression  of 
a  few  hundred  feet  below  their  present  general  eleva- 
tion, -would  cause  a  great  part  of  Asia  and  of  Europe 
to  disappear  beneath  the  waters  of  the  ocean,  and 
would  reduce  America  to  a  few  long  islands.  On  the 
other  hand,  had  the  elevating  force  been  greater,  or 
longer  in  operation,  so  as  to  lift  these  entire  continents 
a  few  thousand  feet  higher,  both  the  climate  and  the 
vegetation  of  the  Avhole  globe  would  have  been  very 
unlike  those  that  now  prevail;  Europe  would  have 
been  left  without  a  vineyard  or  a  fruit-tree  ;  and  the 
warm  and  fertile  plains  of  India,  now  adorned  with  all 
the  rich  productions  of  a  tropical  climate,  would  have 
been  as  the  cold  desert  Plateaus  of  Thibet.  Or,  let  us 
suppose  that  the  elevating  power  had  raised  the  south- 


*  Guyot'8  Earth  and  Mau,  p.  26. 


THE    THIRD   DAY.  1(55 

ern  region  of  North  America  only  a  little  higher,  so  as 
to  produce  a  gentle  declivity  of  the  general  surfice 
toward  the  north,  and  thus  caused  the  waters  of  the 
Mississippi  and  of  all  its  numerous  tributaries  to  flow 
and  discharge  into  tlie  Frozen  Ocean ; — what  vast  and 
inestimable  advantages  had  been  lost  to  this  continent ! 
Or,  once  more,  suppose  the  long  and  lofty  range  of  the 
Andes  had  been  elevated  along  the  eastern  coast  of 
South  America ;  this  also  had  been  followed  by  disas- 
trous results,  for  it  would  have  hindered  tlie  trade 
winds  from  bearing  the  vapors  of  the  ocean  into  the 
interior  of  the  continent,  and  the  plains  of  the  Amazon 
and  Paraguay,  in  consequence,  would  have  been  but 
deserts.  From  these  and  a  multitude  of  similar  fiicts, 
it  is  evident  that  the  various  Table-lands  and  mountain 
chains,  which  cover  the  surface  of  our  globe,  have  been 
arranged  after  a  predetermined  plan  into  a  regular  and 
complete  system  of  slopes  and  counterslopes — a  system, 
the  issues  of  which  must  have  all  been  plainly  foreseen 
by  Him  who  bade  the  dry  land  appear. 

Look  aa:ain  at  the  relative  positions  of  the  different 
parts  of  the  dry  land.  To  this  some  of  the  fairest 
spots  of  the  earth  owe  their  chief  advantages.  "  Do 
not  the  three  Peninsulas  of  the  south  of  Europe  owe  to 
their  position  their  mild  and  soft  climate,  their  lovely 
landscapes,  their  numerous  relations,  and  their  common 
life  ?  Is  it  not  to  their  situation  that  the  two  great 
peninsulas  of  India  are  indebted  for  their  rich  nature, 
and  the  conspicuous  part  one  of  them,  at  least,  has 


J 66  THE   THIRD  DAY. 

played  in  all  ages  ?  Place  them  on  the  north  of  their 
continents,  Italy  and  Greece  become  Scandinavia,  and 
India  a  Kamtschatka.  All  Europe  is  indebted  for  its 
temperate  atmosphere  to  its  position  relatively  to  the 
great  marine  and  atmospheric  currents,  and  to  the 
vicinity  of  the  burning  regions  of  Africa.  Place  it  at 
the  east  of  Asia,  it  will  be  only  a  frozen  peninsula."* 

Again  :  If  on  the  morning  of  the  third  day  the  vast 
regions  of  the  poles  had  been  elevated  into  dry  land, 
instead  of  being  left  beneath  the  ocean  as  we  now  find 
them,  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  our  globe  long 
since  would  have  become  uninhabitable.  For  in  that 
case,  by  the  process  of  evaporation  and  the  agency  of 
the  aerial  currents,  the  whole  ocean  would  have  been 
transferred  from  the  tropics  to  the  poles,  leaving  the 
former  dry,  and  piling  the  latter  with  mountainous 
accumulations  of  ice  and  snow.  But  with  the  existing 
arrangement  such  appalling  results  are  effectually  and 
happily  avoided.  The  polar  snows  fall  upon  those 
seas,  or  upon  their  frozen  surfaces,  and  form  floating 
masses  of  ice,  which  are  partly  broken  up  and  drifted 
away  in  the  form  of  icebergs,  and  partly  melted  where 
they  are  by  currents  of  water  perpetually  streaming  in 
against  and  beneath  them  from  warmer  regions,  and 
thus  become  restored  to  the  general  ocean. 

These,  and  many  other  similar  facts,  demonstrate  to 
us  that  infinite  wisdom,  as  well  as  unlimited  power,  were 
concerned  in  the  elevation  of  the  dry  land.    The  forms, 

*  Earlli  and  Man,  p.  27. 


TUE   THIRD  DAY.  jgy 

the  height,  and  the  position  of  its  several  masses, 
irregular  and  accidental  as  they  may  appear,  reveal  a 
plan  that  had  distinct  and  direct  reference  to  the 
future  history  of  the  world.  In  tracing  the  coast 
lines,  and  in  describing  the  surface  elevations  of  the 
different  portions  of  the  land,  the  Creator  decided  in 
no  feeble  degree  what  the  occupation  and  character  of 
their  future  population  would  be ; — whether  keepers  of 
flocks  and  herds,  or  doers  of  business  in  great  waters, 
or  exhumers  of  "  the  chief  things  of  the  ancient  moun- 
tains." Each  quarter  of  the  globe,  each  continent, 
doubtless,  was  made  and  meant  to  develop  its  appro- 
priate phase  of  human  character,  while  the  whole  was 
to  form  the  grand  theatre  whereon  the  Eternal  Logos 
was  to  work  out  his  wondrous  and  far-reaching  scheme 
of  mercy  and  salvation  to  a  race  that  would  become 
sinners  and  self-ruined. 

The  surface  of  the  land  part  of  the  globe  we  find 
coated  over,  to  a  greater  or  less  depth,  with  a  covering 
of  soil.  This  consists  of  pulverized  rocks,  mingled  with 
calcareous  substances,  and  the  decomposed  remains  of 
animal  and  vegetable  organizations.  This  soil  is  less 
or  more  productive  according  to  its  depth,  and  accord- 
ing to  the  proportions  in  which  these  substances  are 
mixed  in  it.  This  vegetative  covering,  with  compara- 
tively limited  exceptions,  is  spread  over  the  surface  of 
all  the  dry  land,  from  the  summits  of  the  mountains 
down  their  gentle  declivities,  and  over  all  the  plains  be- 
low.    By  whatever  agencies  this  important  envelope  was 


168  THE    THIRD    DAY. 

formed,  and  thus  spread  out,  we  behold  in  it  the 
arrangement  of  a  wise  and  benevolent  Mind,  making  a 
most  ample  provision  for  a  vegetation  suitable  for  the 
support  of  man  and  every  living  thing.  No  candid 
mind,  who  duly  considers  the  nature  of  the  substances 
composing  the  mass  of  the  earth's  crust,  can  resist  the 
conclusion  that  the  clothing  of  its  surface  with  produc- 
tive soil  is  as  much  an  evidence  of  wise  and  benevolent 
intention,  as  is  the  enclosing  of  an  animal  body  in  a 
skin  covered  with  hair. 

Descending  from  the  carpeted  floor  of  our  terres- 
trial habitation  into  the  vaults  of  its  lower  story,  we 
find  them  filled  with  the  provisions  of  God's  love  for 
man.  Its  strata,  like  so  many  shelves,  to  unknown 
depths,  are  crowded  with  stores  of  all  manner  of  use- 
ful thing's  for  his  service.  Here  is  a  ma2:azine  of  min- 
erals  and  metals  proffering  him  the  means  of  multi- 
plying his  conveniences,  extending  his  civilization,  and 
advancing  his  own  knowledge,  refinement,  and  happi- 
ness. Plere  are  beds  of  granite  to  supply  him  with 
])uilding  materials  that  will  defy  the  force  of  time  and 
tide ;  marble  of  every  grain  and  shade  of  color  for  his 
temples,  palaces,  or  statuary ;  limestone  to  improve  his 
soil  and  cement  his  walls ;  slate  to  cover  his  roofs  or 
lay  his  floors;  gypsum,  white  as  snow,  to  finish  and 
adorn  his  apartments ;  the  hardened  grit  to  grind  his 
corn ;  sand  to  make  him  glass ;  and  clay  to  fabricate 
his  wares;  chalh,  basalt,  2^orpliyry,  sandstone,  and  a 
multitude  of   other   minerals,    all   convertible    by   in- 


THE    THIRD    DAY.  169 

genuity  and  industry  into  various  useful  and  import- 
ant ends.  In  the  great  cellars  below  we  also  find  laid 
up  ready  to  liis  hand  an  abundant  stock  of  coal,  where- 
with he  may  warm  himself,  and  multii)ly  the  strength 
of  his  arms  a  million  fold.  In  close  connection  with 
this  are  fountains  of  oil  to  supply  his  lamps.  And 
here  too  are  inexhaustible  stores  of  salt,  an  article  of 
prime  importance  to  him  and  to  the  living  creatures 
around  him. 

Among  the  strata  of  the  rocks,  in  their  joints  and 
fissures,  and  interlacing  their  solid  masses,  are  also  pro- 
vided and  laid  up  for  man,  metals  of  different  quali- 
ties, and  adapted  to  all  the  various  purposes  of  life. 
Here  are  to  be  found  the  precious  and  beautiful  metals 
of  gold  and  silver  to  serve  him  for  coins,  medals,  and 
ornaments ;  mercury,  antimony,  arsenic,  2>otass{um, 
phosphorus,  aluminium,  sulphur,  sodium,  magnesium, 
to  supply  him  with  chemicals  for  his  arts,  and  medi- 
cines for  his  health  ;  tin,  copper,  nickel,  zinc,  plumbago, 
platinum,  cobalt,  lead,  etc.,  to  construct  him  instru- 
ments, utensils,  and  other  conveniences  without  num- 
ber. Above  all,  here  are  inexhaustible  stores  of  iron, 
the  most  useful,  and,  therefore,  the  most  valuable  of 
all  the  metals.  The  uses  of  iron  to  man  are  not  to  be 
numbered  or  estimated.  It  ministers  to  his  necessities 
and  comfort,  to  his  ease  and  safety,  from  the  beginning 
of  his  life  to  its  close ;  it  is  equally  serviceable  to  the 
arts,  to  agriculture,  to  navigation,  and  to  war ;  out  of 
it  are  made  the  sword  and  the  ploughshare,  the  scissors 


170  THE   THIRD   DAY. 

and  the  needle,  the  cable  and  the  anchor,  and  ten  thou- 
sand other  instrumentalities  in  daily  use  on  sea  and 
land. 

Treasured  up  in  her  subterranean  coffers,  the  earth 
also  holds  in  keeping  for  man  a  great  variety  of  pre- 
cious GEMS — the  hard  and  glittering  diamond,  the  bril- 
liant emerald,  the  pink  and  yellow  topaz,  the  azure 
sapphire,  the  purple  jacinth  and  amethyst,  the  beauti- 
ful hcrijl,  the  variegated  agate,  the  girdled  onyx,  the 
opal  of  rainbow  hues,  the  transparent  crystal,  the 
white  and  red  cornelian,  together  with  many  others 
of  rare  beauty  and  great  value.  These  gems  of  the 
earth,  formed  and  colored  by  God's  own  hand,  were 
made  for  man  exclusively,  for  of  all  creatures  on  this 
earth  he  alone  is  endowed  with  faculties  to  appreciate 
and  with  taste  to  enjoy  them.  And  they  serve  to  re- 
mind us  that  our  Father  in  heaven  stopped  not  short 
in  his  regard  for  us  at  the  point  where  our  bare  wants 
were  supplied,  but  was  pleased  to  add  the  charms  of 
beauty,  over  and  above,  in  order  to  gratify  his 
children. 

But  let  us  look  more  closely  at  the  mass  of  mate- 
rials composing  the  crust  of  our  globe.  If  we  care- 
fully inspect  and  study  the  structure  and  constitution 
of  its  minerals  and  metals,  we  shall  discover  other 
striking  displays  of  the  matchless  skill  and  perfect 
agency  employed  in  the  formation  of  our  earthly 
habitation.  Every  one  of  the  minerals  composing  its 
substance   has   its    own    peculiar    formation,    physical 


/ 


CRYSTAL  FORMS. 


THE    THIRD    DAY.  171 

character,  and  chemical  properties  ;  and  Avhen  we 
come  to  understand  these,  we  shall  no  longer  regard 
them  as  mere  shapeless  masses,  or  simply  as  having 
here  a  pretty  form,  and  there  a  beautiful  tint ;  but 
as  objects  modeled  by  the  Divine  Hand,  and  revealing 
the  Divine  Mind.  We  shall  discover  that  even  in 
the  profound  depths  and  dark  recesses  of  the  earth, 
where  the  influences  necessary  to  sustain  organization 
and  life  cease  to  act,  the  creative  Spirit  has  pursued 
his  stupendous  task  of  giving  form  and  beauty  to 
every  particle  of  matter. 

Nearly  all  the  minerals  of  the  globe  are  found  to 
be  made  up  of  minute  crystals,  closely  packed  and 
firmly  held  together.  These  crystals  are  of  great 
variety,  differing  not  only  in  size,  but  in  their  angles, 
facets,  and  general  configuration,  in  different  substan- 
ces. But  the  crjstal  form  in  any  one  particular 
mineral  is  the  same  everywhere ;  that  of  quartz,  for 
example,  whether  taken  from  the  Alps,  the  Andes,  or 
the  Himalayas,  is  the  same,  not  an  angle  is  found 
to  differ.  So  of  iron,  salt,  marble,  etc.  Hence  each 
mineral  may  be  properly  said  to  have  as  much  a  dis- 
tinct shape  of  its  own  as  each  plant  or  animal,  and 
may  be  as  readily  distinguished  by  the  character  pre- 
sented to  the  eye.  Crystals  are  distinct  and  perfect 
individuals  in  the  mineral  kingdom. 

The  uninformed  may  regard  beds  of  rock,  or  masses 
of  ore,  as  chance  agglomerations  of  matter ;  but  these 
combinations   and   figures  of  crystallization  are  so  far 


172  THE    THIRD    DAY. 

from  indicating  the  fortuitous  result  of  accident,  that 
they  are  disposed  according  to  laws  the  most  severely 
rigid,  and  in  proportions  mathematically  exact.  So 
minutely  and  elaborately  wrought  are  the  geometrical 
patterns  of  crystals,  that  they  are  found  to  reajipear 
after  the  most  minute  subdivision.  Beneath  the  fixed 
variety  of  external  or  secondary  forms  which  crys- 
talline bodies  assume,  there  is  an  ultimate  or  primitive 
form  retained  by  the  smallest  particles  of  each  crystal. 
"  Every  crystal  of  carbonate  of  lime,"  says  Buckland, 
"  is  made  up  of  millions  of  particles  of  the  same  com- 
pound substances,  having  one  invariable  primary  form, 
viz.,  that  of  a  rhomboidal  solid,  which  may  be  ob- 
tained to  an  indefinite  extent  by  mechanical  division." 
In  the  works  of  crystallization  we  behold  the  per- 
fect figures  of  geometry,  as  traced  by  the  finger  of 
God.  "  To  the  uninstructed  eye,"  says  Dana,  "  these 
cubes  and  prisms  of  nature,  with  their  numberless 
brilliant  surfaces,  often  appear  as  if  they  had  been 
cut  and  polished  by  the  lapidary ;  yet  the  skill  and 
finish  of  the  work — most  perfect  in  microscopic  crys- 
tals— have  but  feeble  imitation  in  art.  Not  unfre- 
quently,  crystals  are  found  with  one  or  two  hundred 
distinct  planes,  and  occasionally  even  a  much  larger 
number ;  and  every  edge  and  angle  has  the  utmost 
perfection,  and  the  surfaces  and  evenness  of  polish 
that  betrays  no  rude  workmanship,  even  under  the 
highest  magnifying  glass.  Cavities  are  occasionally 
met  with  in  rocks,  studded  on  every  side  with  crys- 


THE    THIRD    DAY.  173 

tals — crystal  grottos  in  miniature — sparkling,  wlien 
brought  out  to  the  sun,  like  a  casket  of  jewels.  Even 
amid  the  apparent  confusion,  there  is  wonderful  order 
of  arrangement  in  the  crystals ;  the  corresponding 
planes  generally  fiice  the  same  way,  so  that  the 
sparkling  effect  appears  in  successive  flashes  over  the 
surface,  as  every  new  set  of  facets  comes  in  turn  to 
the  light.  Add  to  this  view  their  delicate  colors — 
the  rich  purple  of  the  amethyst,  the  soft  yellow  shades 
of  the  tojiaz,  the  deep  green  of  the  emerald — and  it 
will  be  admitted  that  the  powers  of  crystallization 
scarcely  yield  to  vitality  in  the  forms  of  beauty  they 
produce." 

The  marvellous  excellency  of  the  Creator's  work- 
manship in  the  formation  of  the  earth  also  appears  in 
the  diversity  of  productions  fasliioned  out  of  the  same 
elements.  While  the  appearance  and  distinguishing- 
characteristics  of  marble,  slate,  porphyry,  limestone, 
and  basalt,  are  as  distinct  as  can  well  be  imagined, 
the  real  ultimate  difference  in  their  composition  is 
extremely  small.  Few  things  are  more  unlike  than 
common  clay  and  the  precious  rubies,  sapphires, 
beryls,  garnets,  and  carbuncles,  yet  all  these  are  but 
so  many  modifications  of  day.  Of  all  gems  the  dia- 
mond is  the  hardest,  the  most  beautiful,  and  the  most 
valued ;  yet,  strange  to  say,  it  is  but  a  lump  of  char- 
coal in  a  crystallized  form,  and,  like  charcoal,  can  be 
made  to  burn,  and  its  whole  substance  to  disappear  in 
carbonic  acid  gas.     And  thus  it  is  throughout  nature. 


174  THE   THIRD   DAY. 

From  a  few  simple  substances  the  Divine  Artificer  has 
produced  a  multitude  of  useful  minerals  and  beautiful 
gems,  all  differing  so  widely  that,  from  their  appear- 
ance, we  should  never  think  of  comparing  them  with 
their  original  elements,  or  even  suspect  that  any 
relation  subsisted  between  them. 

REFLECTIONS. 

The  earth  is  the  Lord's ;  but  he  hath  filled  it  with 
his  riches  for  the  children  of  men.  And  who  can 
review  its  varied  and  invaluable  treasures,  and  not 
see  in  them  the  intentions  of  his  wisdom  and  the  be- 
nevolence of  his  heart  toward  his  earthly  offspring ! 
Of  those  enumerated  in  the  foregoing  pages,  three 
especially  demand  our  devout  and  grateful  reflections : 

Salt. — This,  is  an  article  of  prime  and  universal 
necessit}^,  being  an  element  essential  to  healthy  nour- 
ishment. And  the  beneficence  of  the  Creator  is  clearly 
seen  in  its  universal  distribution.  Not  only  is  it  ob- 
tainable from  the  briny  waters  of  the  ocean  along  all 
the  coasts,  but  saline  springs,  and  solid  beds  of  it  in 
the  form  of  rock,  are  dispersed  generally  over  the  con- 
tinents and  large  islands ;  so  that  this  source  of  health 
and  daily  enjoyment  is  within  the  reach  of  the  inhabi- 
tants of  every  region  of  the  globe. 

Coal. — This  is  the  most  valuable  fuel  in  existence. 
The  help  and  enjoyment  man  derives  from  it  cannot 
be  calculated.  It  warms  the  homes  and  prepares  the 
food  of  millions.     It  enlightens  the  streets  and  habitar 


THE   THIRD  DAY.  I75 

tions  of  unnumbered  cities.  It  aids  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  a  thousand  things  of  use  and  of  beauty,  at  the 
forge  and  in  the  furnace.  It  generates  the  steam  that 
weaves  our  cloth,  grinds  our  corn,  prints  our  books, 
draws  our  trains,  and  impels  our  fleets.  In  a  word,  it 
lends  to  man  a  power  that  never  wearies,  a  power  that 
may  be  directed  to  any  purpose,  and  a  f)ower  that 
scarcely  knows  a  limit.  If  the  mechanics  of  the 
United  States  annually  consume  ten  millions  of  tons 
of  coal  to  run  their  various  machineries,  it  gives 
them  for  their  work  the  aid  of  a  force  equal  to  that 
of  an  army  of  men  numbering  twice  the  whole  popu- 
lation of  the  country.  Of  this  most  useful  mineral 
God  has  laid  up  a  bounteous  store  for  us.  The  area 
of  the  coal  fields  of  the  world,  so  far  as  discovered,  is 
estimated  at  two  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  square 
miles  ;  and  these  fields,  by  the  beneficent  design  of  the 
Creator,  have  been  widely  distributed  over  the  globe. 

And  now  let  us  devote  a  moment  to  contemplate  the 
origin  and  history  of  this  most  valuable  production. 
Far  back  in  the  pre-Adamite  periods  of  our  planet's 
history,  when  its  climate  was  much  warmer  and  more 
humid  than  at  present,  nature,  at  her  Lord's  bidding, 
roused  to  put  forth  her  chief  energies  in  the  produc- 
tion of  vegetation.  Hence  the  earth  everywhere  be- 
came shaded  with  dark  and  tangled  forests  of  strange 
and  stupendous  growths.  "  Wherever  dry  land,  or 
shallow  lake,  or  running  stream  appeared,  from  wliere 
Melville's  Island  now  spreads  out  its  icy  wastes  under 


176  THE   THIRD  DAY. 

the  star  of  the  pole,  to  where  the  arid  plains  of  Aus- 
tralia lie  solitary  beneath  the  bright  cross  of  the  south, 
a  rank  and  luxuriant  herbage  covered  every  foot- 
breadth  of  the  dank  and  steaming  soil."*  Whole 
regions  of  these  dense  forests  and  abounding  growths 
were  from  time  to  time  submerged;  while  in  other 
parts  torrents  of  rain  and  sweeping  floods,  such  as  are 
now  unknown,  carried  them,  root  and  branch,  into  the 
neighboring  bays.  Thus  the  stupendous  vegetation 
was  accumulated  age  after  age  at  the  bottom  of  the 
sea,  and  there  the  Hand  Unseen  carried  them  through 
chemical  changes,  by  bituminous  springs  and  other 
agencies,  and  compressed  them  by  the  weight  of  after 
deposits  into  solid  layers,  till,  in  the  lapse  of  time, 
they  were  converted  into  wdiat  now  constitute  our 
coal-fields.  And  what  is  equally  interesting  and  in- 
structive, the  proof  that  this  was  actually  the  origin 
of  coal  is  still  visible  and  open  to  our  inspection. 
Speaking  of  the  coal  mines  of  Bohemia,  Dr.  Buckland 
tells  us,  that  "  the  most  elaborate  imitations  of  living 
foliage  bear  no  comparison  with  the  beautiful  profusion 
of  extinct  vegetable  forms  with  which  the  galleries  of 
these  coal  mines  are  overhung.  The  roof  is  covered 
as  with  a  canopy  of  gorgeous  tapestry,  enriched  with 
festoons  of  most  graceful  foliage,  flung  in  wild  and 
irregular  profusion  over  every  portion  of  its  surface. 
The  spectator  feels  himself  transported,  as  if  by  en- 
chantment, into  the  forests  of  another  world ;  he  be- 

*  Testimony  of  Rocks,  p.  IGO. 


o 

cr. 


<: 

> 

»— ( 
O 

O 
O 


o 

o 
> 


THE   THIRD   DA  Y.  I77 

holds  trees  and  forms  and  characters  now  unknown  upon 
the  surface  of  the  eartli,  presented  to  his  senses  almost 
in  the  vigor  of  their  primeval  life — their  scaly  stems 
and  bending  branches,  with  their  delicate  apparatus 
of  foliage,  are  all  spread  forth  before  him,  little  im- 
paired by  the  lapse  of  countless  ages,  and  bearing 
faithful  records  of  extinct  systems  of  vegetation  which 
began  and  terminated  in  times  of  which  these  relics 
are  the  infallible  historians."  However  remote  the 
period  at  which  this  rank  and  luxuriant  vegetation 
tiourished,  and  whatever  incidental  or  temporary  pur- 
poses it  miglit  have  served  at  the  time,  the  Great 
Builder  of  the  world  had  a  future  and  prospective 
end,  both  in  its  production  and  in  its  marvellous  pres- 
ervation. For,  like  a  house  in  process  of  erection, 
every  change  wrought  in  its  substance,  and  every  new 
production  introduced  upon  its  surface,  were  so  many 
steps  in  the  earth's  progressive  preparation  for  an  occu- 
pant that  Avas  yet  to  be  created.  That  coal  was  manu- 
factured and  stowed  away  in  the  mighty  cellars  of  the 
earth  till  he  should  come.  He  has  come.  And  now, 
after  the  lapse  of  unrecorded  ages — now  at  the  end  of 
time — the  earth  yields  up  these  her  long-held  stores, 
and  the  extraordinary  productions  of  the  most  extra- 
ordinary period  of  its  historj^,  are  made  to  minister  to 
the  comfort,  improvement,  and  elevation  of  the  hist- 
born  of  creation — man.  How  interesting  to  think  and 
to  be  thus   assured   that,  long   before  we  came   into 

being,  our  Father  was  already  caring  for  us,  and  stor- 
12 


178  THE    THIRD  DAY. 

ing  the  earth  with  such  things  as  he  knew  we  should 
need. 

Iron. — Few  objects  in  creation  bear  more  conspicu- 
ously the  impress  of  heneficent  design  toward  man  than 
this.  The  existence  of  such  a  metal  as  iron  is  proof  of 
this.  Had  silver  and  gold  not  been  created,  or  were 
they  to-day  annihilated,  the  world  would  go  on  just  as 
well.  But  what  would  be  our  condition  without  iron  ? 
What  would  supply  its  place?  Nothing  in  all  the 
realm  of  minerals.  Without  iron,  from  the  very  pin- 
nacle of  our  civilization,  we  should  go  down  quickly 
into  barbarism,  unless  saved  by  the  special  interposi- 
tion of  Heaven.  Without  iron,  the  earth  would  have 
been  unfit  for  man  and  man  unfit  for  the  earth.  The 
abundance  provided  of  this  metal  is  another  evidence 
of  God's  prospective  care  for  man ;  what  He  foresaw 
to  be  most  needful  He  prepared  most  plentifully ;  iron 
ore  is  distributed  very  widely  over  the  earth.  The 
maUeabiUtt/  of  iron  bears  a  similar  testimony ;  had  it 
been  as  unyielding  as  flint,  or  brittle  as  antimony,  it 
would  have  been  comparatively  worthless.  Its  hard- 
ness and  its  susceptibility  of  being  hardened  to  any  re- 
quired degree,  are  also  qualities  that  plainly  attest  a 
foresight  of  the  wants  of  coming  man  and  a  care  to 
meet  them.  The  strength  of  iron  and  its  capacity  for 
icelding  evince  the  same.  Its  wholesomeness  is  another 
unportant  quality;  to  reduce  iron  from  its  native  state 
to  the  purposes  of  usefulness  requires  long  labor  over 
it,  and  if  it  had  been  poisonous,  as  many  of  the  metals 


TUB   THIRD   DAY.  179 

are,  man  would  perish  in  his  attempts  to  avail  himself 
of  its  advantages.  The  native  location  of  iron  likewise 
indicates  benevolence  of  design  in  reference  to  man ; 
the  ore  being  generally  found  in  the  immediate  neigh- 
borhood of  coal  to  melt  it,  and  of  lime  to  facilitate  the 
process.  Now,  who  that  duly  considers  the  foregoing 
properties  of  iron,  but  must  be  struck  with  admiration 
at  the  combination  of  excellent  qualities  that  meet  in 
it,  and  be  fully  convinced  that  it  was  made  and  meant 
for  the  service  of  man  ! 

God  saw  the  end  from  the  beginning.  Out  of  the 
remotest  depths  of  the  past,  and  all  along  as  the  world 
was  forming  under  his  plastic  hand,  He  looked  forward 
to  man,  who  was  to  be  the  heir  and  head  of  this  lower 
creation.  The  wants,  the  progress,  and  the  destiny 
of  our  race  were  held  steadily  in  view,  as  it  passed 
through  all  its  wondrous  changes ;  so  that  it  may  be 
said,  and  trul}',  that  the  stupendous  miracles  of  by- 
gone creations  were  conducted  with  a  reference  to  our 
present  comfort  and  improvement.  From  the  bowels 
of  the  earth,  then,  and  from  the  wreck  of  former 
worlds,  we  may  derive  materials  with  which  to  erect 
an  altar  of  gratitude  to  Him  who  treasured  up  for  us 
"  the  blessings  of  the  deep  that  lieth  underneath,"  and 
"  the  precious  things  of  the  everlasting  hills." 


180  7'zrz:  TinRD  day. 


3I0UNTAINS. 

By  his  strength  He  setteth  fast  the  mountains,  being  girded   with 

power. 

Of  the  varied  features  of  the  Dry  Land,  mountains 
are  the  most  conspicuous ;  their  height,  their  masses, 
their  bold  outlines  and  varied  scenery,  render  them 
the  most  attractive  and  the  sublimest  objects  presented 
on  the  face  of  the  globe.  Like  the  currents  in  the 
atmosphere  and  the  streams  in  the  ocean,  they  consti- 
tute important  agencies  in  the  economy  of  the  world, 
by  which  the  Creator  bestows  many  blessings  upon  its 
inhabitants. 

Mountain  chains  of  greater  or  less  altitude  and  ex- 
tent traverse  every  quarter  of  the  earth.  In  Europe 
we  have  the  range  formed  by  the  Pyrenees,  the  Alps 
and  the  mountains  of  Dalmatia,  whose  highest  peak, 
Mount  Blanc,  is  16,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
In  Asia  we  find  the  Uralian,  Caucasian,  and  Altai 
chains ;  but  the  grandest  range  on  this  continent,  and 
the  highest  on  the  globe,  are  the  gigantic  Himalayas, 
which  culminate  in  Mount  Everest,  which  is  29,000 
feet  high,  and  visible  at  the  distance  of  230  miles.  In 
Africa  we  meet  with  the  Greater  and  Lesser  Atlas,  of 
classic  memories,  reaching  an  elevation  of  some  12,000 
feet.  In  the  New  World,  the  Rocky  Mountains  and 
the  Andes  constitute  one  grand  system,  running  from 
north  to  south,  along  the  whole  western  edge  of  North 


THE   THIRD  DAY.  181 

and  South  America,  a  distance  of  over  8000  miles ;  of 
this  chain  the  highest  point  in  South  America  is 
Nevado  de  Sorata,  being  25,300  feet;  and  the  highest 
in  North  America  is  St.  Ehas  peak,  whose  altitude  is 
17,800  feet.  Such  are  the  grand  and  principal  ranges 
of  the  world. 

These  lofty  mountain  chains  were  not  created  in  the 
beginning  where  and  what  we  now  behold  them ;  but 
have  been  subsequently  formed  by  the  elevation  of  the 
solid  and  rocky  crust  of  the  earth,  thrust  up  by  stupen- 
dous forces  from  beneath.  Three  things  go  to  prove 
this  fact : — 1 .  Geological  observation  proves  to  us  as 
plainly  as  that  a  heap  of  oak  chips  must  have  once 
belonged  to  an  oak  tree,  that  the  rocks  which  compose 
the  loftiest  mountains  belong  to  formations  w^hose 
natural  and  original  positions  are  hundreds,  and  even 
thousands  of  feet  below  the  present  general  surface  of  . 
the  earth.  2.  The  mountains  still  bear  upon  their 
own  brows  the  evidence  of  their  upheaval.  If  masses 
of  rocks  hundreds  of  miles  in  extent  were  raised  to  the 
elevation  of  mountains,  they  would  naturally  at  differ- 
ent points  break,  and  crack,  and  open  into  chasms  by 
their  own  enormous  weight;  and  this  we  find  has 
actually  been  the  case.  The  whole  Alpine  region  ex- 
hibits such  fractures ;  at  an  elevation  of  some  4,000  feet 
we  meet  a  chasm  100  feet  wide,  and  descending  to 
dark  and  unknown  depths,  all  the  prominences  on  one 
side  exactly  corresponding  to  the  indentations  on  the 
other.      In   the    Pyrenees   are   found    four   enormous 


182  THE    THIRD    DAY. 

chasms,  almost  perpendicular,  which  divide  both  moun- 
tains and  their  valleys,  and  which  appear  as  if  they 
had  but  just  been  rent  asunder.  The  ranges  of  the 
Andes  throughout  present  similar  disruptions,  indica- 
ting plainly  the  operation  of  the  tremendous  power  to 
M'hich  they  owe  their  present  elevation.  3.  The  re- 
mains of  marine  animals,  found  in  such  variety  and 
profusion  far  up  these  mountains,  prove  incontestably 
that  they  once  existed  beneath  the  ocean  waters.  On 
Mount  La  Bolca  alone,  not  less  than  a  hundred  differ- 
ent species  of  fossil  fishes  have  been  found.  And 
Humboldt  discovered  sea  shells  on  the  Andes  at  an 
elevation  of  more  than  14,000  feet. — From  all  the  fore- 
going fticts,  it  is  evident,  that  the  mountains  are  eleva- 
tions of  the  earth's  crust,  effected  long  after  its  original 
creation. 

The  diversity  of  surface  which  the  Dry  Land  pre- 
sents in  its  mountains,  plains  and  valleys,  clearly  ex- 
hibits the  arrangements  of  the  same  beneficent  wisdom, 
as  we  have  seen  in  the  atmosphere  and  in  the  ocean. 
Yet  some  there  have  been,  so  devoid  of  both  taste  and 
wisdom,  as  to  pronounce  the  rocks,  precipices  and 
mountains  of  the  globe,  as  so  many  rude  and  unsightly 
excrescences  on  the  face  of  nature ;  and  to  hold  that  a 
smooth  and  level  surface  would  have  been  far  more  to 
the  advantage  of  man,  as  in  that  case  travelling, 
agricultural  operations,  etc,.,  would  have  been  much 
facilitated.  Such  ideas  can  proceed  only  from  igno- 
rance.    Very  many  and  most  important  are  the  bene- 


THE    THIRD    DAY.  I33 

fits  derived  to  the  world  from  the  mountains  and  hills 
which  so  generally  and  so  beautifully  vary  its  surface. 

Mountains  exert  a  most  important  influence  upon 
climate,  by  affecting  the  currents  of  the  atmosphere, 
mitigating  the  cold,  intercepting  the  clouds,  and  shield- 
ing extensive  districts  from  the  unbroken  violence  of 
the  storms,  and  northern  blasts.  They  have  been  built 
up  by  the  Great  Architect,  in  selected  situations  and 
for  specific  ends — to  direct  the  course  of  the  winds 
whither  he  would  have  them  blow,  and  to  draw  from 
the  clouds  their  enriching  moisture  where  they  are 
needed.  Mountain  chains  are,  in  fact,  to  be  reckoned 
with  the  streams  of  the  ocean,  and  the  currents  of  the 
atmosphere  of  the  number  of  the  great  agencies  which 
He  has  arranged  and  combined  to  equalize  the  general 
temperature  of  the  earth ;  nor  is  it  possible  to  calculate 
all  the  evils  and  disadvantages  that  would  result  from 
reducing  them  to  its  general  level. 

To  these  lofty  elevations  the  globe  owes  its  magnifi- 
cent system  of  Rivers.  Mountains  are  the  great  con- 
densers of  the  atmosphere,  and  the  sources  of  springs, 
rills,  brooks  and  rivers.  They  receive,  in  the  form  of 
rain  or  snow,  the  vapors  with  which  the  atmosphere  is 
charged,  even  when  the  plains  below  may  be  parched 
with  drought.  And  hence  the  irregular  and  mountain- 
ous surface  of  the  earth  is  veined  over  with  the  chan- 
nels of  flowing  water  to  supply  the  wants  of  all  living 
creatures.  If  the  earth  had  no  mountains,  and  had 
been  a  uniform  level,  it  would  have  been  comparatively 


184  THE   THIRD  DAY. 

a  marsh  ;  rains  would  have  gathered  in  stagnant  pools, 
and  sent  forth  noxious  exhalations,  pregnant  with  dis- 
ease and  death. 

Had  the  earth  been  formed  a  smooth  and  perfect 
globe,  it  would  have  been  destitute  of  many  of  the 
plants  and  animals  it  now  possesses,  whose  appropriate 
place  and  habitation  are  the  mountains.  "  The  high 
hills  are  a  refuge  for  the  goats,  and  the  rocks  for  the 
conies."  And  on  these  elevations  also  grow  many 
plants  which  cannot  be  successfully  cultivated  on  the 
plains.  In  the  forests  which  adorn  the  mountains' 
brow,  and  on  the  bare  rocks  of  their  summits,  un- 
shielded from  the  chilling  air,  grow  some  of  the  rarest 
and  most  useful  plants,  botanical  curiosities,  and  roots 
of  medicinal  virtue. 

But  for  the  upheaval  of  the  earth's  crust  into  these 
mountain  elevations,  we  should  be,  to  the  end  of  time, 
without  most  of  those  minerals  so  valuable  and  essential 
to  man.  If  the  surface  of  the  ground  had  been  level, 
and  the  several  strata  which  compose  it  lay  evenly  and 
regularly,  one  below  the  other,  like  the  coats  of  an 
onion,  the  upper  stratum  only  would  have  been  acces- 
sible to  man.  The  various  intermixture  of  limestone, 
granite,  sandstone,  clay,  etc.,  which  are  now  so  advan- 
tageous to  the  fertility,  and  beauty,  and  habitability 
of  the  globe,  in  that  case,  would  have  no  place.  The 
inestimable  treasures  of  salt,  coal,  iron,  copper,  etc.,  be- 
longing, as  they  do,  for  the  most  part,  to  the  older  and 
deeper  formations,  would  have  been  forever  beyond  the 


THE   TniRD  DAY.  Ig5 

reach  of  man.  This  the  Divine  Builder  foresaw,  and 
m  equal  wisdom  and  goodness  employed  his  mighty 
powers  to  thrust  up  these  layers  into  mountain  heights, 
thus  breaking  them,  and  exposing  their  edges,  with  all 
their  valuable  contents,  to  the  hand  of  man. 

Through  the  instrumentality  of  mountains  man  is 
also  helped  in  what  he  cannot  help  himself  in  another 
way ;  their  lofty  summits,  in  many  regions,  serve  as 
inexhaustible  reservoirs  of  water,  which  they  hold  in 
the  form  of  ice  and  snow,  till  summer  advances,  when 
they  gradually  melt,  and  flow  down  in  grateful  supplies 
to  the  panting  plains  below.  In  this  way  the  snows 
and  glaciers  of  the  Himalayas  feed  the  Ganges,  the  In- 
dus, and  the  Burhampootra ;  and  those  of  the  Andes 
the  streams  which  water  Peru  and  Chili.  The  supplies 
of  water  thus  secured  from  the  mountain  tops  during 
the  summer  months  is  invaluable  to  some  of  the  finest 
countries  of  the  globe. 

Had  our  world  been  formed  without  mountains  or 
hills,  it  would  have  been  destitute  of  the  grandest 
scenes  that  now  adorn  it.  Deprived  of  these  magnifi- 
cent and  charming  elevations,  the  face  of  nature  M'ould 
present  an  unvaried  scene  of  dull  uniformity,  as  fa- 
tiguing to  the  eye  as  the  solitudes  of  Arabia,  and  as 
uninteresting  to  the  mind  as  the  monotony  of  the  ocean. 
To  its  hills,  and  valle3's,  and  mountain  ranges,  the 
earth  owes  its  chief  scenic  grandeur — its  sweet  variety, 
its  softer  loveliness,  and  its  rugged  magnificence,  which 
now  make  it  so  glorious  a  mirror  of  Power,  and  Wis- 
dom, and  Goodness. 


186  THE   THIRD   DAY. 

As  an  example  of  the  scenic  grandeur  of  the  moun- 
tains which  adorn  our  globe,  I  set  before  the  reader  the 
majestic  Ararat,  of  17,750  feet  height,  as  described  by 
an  eye-witness,  Sir  Robert  K.  Porter : — "As  the  vale 
opened  beneath  us,  in  our  descent,  my  whole  attention 
became  absorbed  in  the  view  before  me — a  vast  plain, 
peopled  with  countless  villages ;  the  towers  and  spires 
of  Eitchmai-adzen  arising  from  amidst  them ;  the  glit- 
tering waters  of  Araxes  flowing  through  the  green,  fresh 
vale ;  and  the  subordinate  range  of  mountains  skirting 
the  base  of  the  aAvful  monument  of  the  antediluvian 
world,  it  seemed  to  stand  a  stupendous  link  in  the  his- 
tory of  man,  uniting  the  two  races  of  men  before  and 
after  the  flood.  But  it  was  not  until  we  had  arrived 
on  the  flat  plain,  that  I  beheld  Ararat  in  all  its  ampli- 
tude and  grandeur.  From  the  spot  on  which  I  stood, 
it  appeared  as  if  the  hugest  mountains  of  the  world  had 
been  piled  upon  each  other  to  form  this  one  sublime 
immensity  of  earth,  and  rock,  and  snow !  The  icy 
peaks  of  its  double  head  rose  majestically  into  the  clear 
and  cloudless  heaven;  the  sun  blazed  bright  upon  them, 
and  the  reflection  sent  forth  a  dazzling  radiance  equal 
to  other  suns.  My  eye,  not  able  to  rest  for  any  length 
of  time  on  the  blending  glories  of  its  summits,  wandered 
down  the  apparently  interminable  sides,  till  I  could  no 
longer  trace  their  vast  lines  in  the  mists  of  the  horizon ; 
when  an  inexpressible  impulse,  immediately  carrying 
me  upwards,  again  refixed  my  gaze  on  the  awful  glare 
of  Ararat ;  and  this  bewildered  sensibility  of  sight  being 


THE   THIRD  DAY.  ]87 

answered  by  a  similar  feeling  in  the  mind,  for  some 
moments  I  was  lost  in  a  strange  suspension  of  the 
powers  of  thought."  What  an  object  of  surpassing 
grandeur  is  here  set  before  us !  What  a  majestic  and 
glorious  monument  to  the  praise  of  Him  whose  mighty 
power  thrust  upwards  its  stupendous  mass  from  the 
depths  of  the  sea,  to  be  a  rescuing  place  to  the  second 
father  of  mankind,  and  to  be  the  memorial  and  admira- 
tion of  his  multiplied  posterity  through  all  succeeding 
time ! 

REFLECTIONS. 

As  the  builder  decides  by  Rale  the  proportions  of 
every  column  and  the  dimensions  of  every  arch  that 
enters  into  the  noble  structure  that  is  rearinu;  under 
his  hand — so  the  Divine  Architect  in  the  erection  of 
this  earthly  temple,  "  weighed  its  mountains  in  scales 
and  its  hills  in  a  balance ;"  their  positions  He  deter- 
mined by  unerring  calculation,  and  their  forms  He 
carved  out  with  his  own  right  hand.  Over  the  stupen- 
dous agencies  employed  in  lifting  them  from  their 
depths  to  their  present  elevations.  He  presided  with 
unremitting  attention,  so  that  at  every  point,  forces  of 
a  right  intensity  and  right  direction  were  made  to  co- 
operate, so  as  to  Avork  out  infallibly  every  result  and 
arrangement  embraced  in  his  eternal  plan.  Wild  and 
convulsive  as  those  forces  appear  to  have  been,  all 
were  directed  by  the  most  far-reaching  foresight  to 
purposes  of  human  improvement  and  happiness. 
Gases,  steam,  earthquakes,  volcanos — these  were   the 


188  THE    THIRD   DAY. 

tools  wielded  by  the  Divine  Hand  in  the  construction 
of  man's  world.  Far  from  being  lawless  elements,  or- 
interferences  with  the  terrene  architecture,  they  were 
the  very  means  by  which  it  was  built  up  into  special 
order,  at  once  most  beautiful  and  most  appropriate  for 
him.  And  the  praise  of  the  great  Master  Builder  now 
ascends  from  the  frowning  precipice  and  the  snow- 
capped heights  of  the  mountain,  as  well  as  from  the 
luxuriance  of  the  plains  and  the  smiles  of  the  valleys. 

When  the  Creator  was  forming  the  earth,  and  "  His 
hand  preparing  the  dry  land,"  to  be  a  habitation  for 
man,  He  designed  and  constituted  it  to  minister  to  him 
something  more  than  the  mere  elements  of  bodily 
sustenance.  Its  arrangements  had  reference  to  his 
mental  as  well  as  corporeal  wants.  Its  substance  was 
so  moulded,  its  outlines  so  drawn,  and  its  scenes  so 
painted  as  to  have  an  important  bearing  upon  his 
intellectual  and  moral  character.  The  mountains  and 
the  hills  were  to  be  to  him  as  schools;  and  what 
magnificent  educational  institutions  are  they  in  these 
latter  days  found  to  be.  Their  mighty  masses  and  far- 
reaching  agencies — what  are  they  but  visible  displays 
of  the  stupendous  power  and  contriving  skill  of  the 
Infinite.  And  their  rocks — what  are  these  but  libra- 
ries abounding  in  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge ; 
their  every  stratum  being  a  volume  written  within  and 
without,  recording  the  deeds  of  Omnipotence  in  periods 
that  long  antedated  the  birth  of  our  race.  And  the 
ever-varying  scenery  with  which   the  earth  is  over- 


TflE    THIRD   DAY.  jgg 

spread,  doubtless,  was  also  designed  for  man's  instruc- 
tion— designed  to  delight,  or  rouse,  or  refine  liis  soul, 
and  to  aid  in  forming  his  character  and  deciding  his 
history.  Tlie  extended  plain,  the  naked  clifl",  the  dis- 
tant forest,  the  deep  and  silent  glen,  the  slow-llowing 
and  meandering  river,  the  rugged  mountain,  the  bold 
headland,  the  thundering  cataract — all  were  to  be 
means  of  quickening  the  human  mind  into  obedience  to 
the  Divine  Will,  or  of  soothing  and  inspiring  the 
human  heart  for  communion  with  the  Divine  Spirit. 

It  was  ordained,  as  history  has  revealed,  that  moun- 
tains should  be  associated  with  the  most  signal  and 
important  moral  dispensations  of  Heaven  toward  our 
race.  Those  of  the  land  of  miracles  stand  before  us  as 
if  sculptured  and  painted  with  sacred  legend.  Each, 
by  the  imperishable  memory  of  the  judgment,  or  the 
revelation,  or  the  mercy  with  which  it  stands  connected, 
reads  to  us  a  lesson  of  deep  and  solemn  import.  The 
majestic  Ararat,  lifting  high  its  glittering  summits, 
proclaims  to  the  world  in  terms  and  tones  that  cannot 
be  misunderstood,  the  inevitable  vengeance  that  will 
finally  overtake  the  impenitent  and  incorrigible. 
Moi'iah,  with  its  altar  and  human  victim,  holds  forth  to 
our  view  the  glorious  triumph  of  implicit  faith  in  God. 
Granitic  Sinai,  from  amid  clouds  and  thunderings,  bids 
us  hear  and  obey  the  Law  of  the  Lord  our  God ;  while 
Horeh,  at  its  side,  with  its  flinty  rock  and  flowing 
stream,  invites  and  woos  us  to  its  Antitype  Divine,  the 
Rock  Christ  Jesus,  from  whom  flows  the  waters  of  life. 


190  THE   THIRD  DAY. 

Hot  and  Plsgali,  in  softened  sadness,  speak  and  prove  to 
us  from  the  graves  of  the  chosen  leaders  of  the  sacra- 
mental hosts  of  God,  that  however  useful  or  eminent, 
or  honored  our  position  may  be,  we,  too,  shall  soon  be 
called  to  render  an  account  of  our  stewardship,  and  to 
lie  down  in  the  silence  of  the  grave.  The  "  excellency 
of  CarmeV  holds  forth  its  signal  and  miraculous 
demonstration  of  the  certain  destruction  of  error  and 
idolatry,  and  the  ultimate  triumph  of  truth  and 
righteousness  over  every  enemy.  Encompassed  with 
scenery  of  surpassing  beauty,  Tahor  invites  us  to  ascend 
its  sacred  height,  and  in  meditation  review  the  glorious 
scene  of  the  transfiguration  of  the  Son  of  Man,  as  in 
converse  with  Moses  and  Elias,  saints  returned  from 
glory.  And  Olivet — mount  of  sacred  and  endearing 
memories — with  soft  and  jDlaintive  echoes  is  repeating 
in  our  ears,  yea  wWiin  our  liearts,  the  wondrous  words 
of  agonizing  love !  and  bids  us  advance  and  view  the 
spot  from  whence  our  triumphant  holy  Lord  ascended 
far  above  all  principality  and  power,  and  might,  and 
dominion  to  the  right  hand  of  the  Father  Almighty. 

So  has  Divine  Providence  ordered  events  that  these 
mountains  have  become  enduring  monuments,  standing 
up  in  their  might  and  grandeur,  as  witnesses  for  God, 
and  for  the  Book  of  his  truth,  throughout  all  genera- 
tions. No  authority  of  persecutors  can  silence  the 
voice  they  utter;  no  efforts  of  infidels  can  efface  the 
record  graven  upon  their  brows ;  no  edict  of  kings  or 
potentates  can  extinguish  the  sacred  associations  with 


THE    rillRD    DAY.  191 

Avhicli  their  names  will  forever  come  up  in  the  mind 
of  man.  So  indelibly  have  the  visitations  of  Heaven 
been  stamped  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 


RIVERS. 
He  cutteth  out  rivers  among  the  rocks. 

Water  is  the  vital  fluid  of  the  globe ;  and  the  ocean 
the  clouds,  the  rain,  and  the  rivers  are  the  four  great 
organs  by  which  its  circulation  is  ceaselessly  carried  on. 
From  the  ocean  water  ascends  in  the  form  of  vapors ; 
these  vapors,  in  the  higher  regions  of  the  firmament, 
are  collected  into  clouds,  and  carried  by  the  winds  over 
plain  and  mountain  tops ;  and  the  mountains,  acting  as 
loadstones,  draw  from  the  clouds  their  treasures  in 
showers — their  wet  and  misty  summits  are  untiringly 
occupied  with  this  important  work;  and  from  these 
summits,  on  every  side,  the  rains  flow  down  in  numer- 
ous rills,  these  coalesce  into  larger  streams,  and  these 
streams  again  unite  to  form  the  great  rivers,  which  roll 
their  waters  back  into  the  ocean  ;  thence,  in  due  time, 
to  pass  through  the  same  round  again.  Of  this  great 
physical  fact  no  words  can  be  a  more  correct  and 
beautiful  expression  than  those  of  scripture,  "  Unto  the 
place  from  whence  the  rivers  come,  thither  they  return 
again." 

The  number  of  rivers  on  the  globe  is  very  great ;  it 
has  been  reckoned  that  there  are,  both  in  the  Old  and 


192  THE    THIRD    DAY. 

New  World,  nearly  seven  hundred  principal  streams, 
that  discharge  directly  into  the  ocean.  These,  together 
with  their  innumerable  tributaries,  constitute  a  grand 
System  of  Drainage,  with  which  the  beneficent  wisdom 
of  the  Creator  has  furrowed  the  face  of  the  earth. 

In  Europe,  the  Rhone,  in  its  wanderings  of  four  hun- 
dred and  forty  miles,  drains  the  waters  of  an  area  of 
7,000  square  miles.  The  Rhine,  which  has  a  length 
of  seven  hundred  miles,  carries  to  the  sea  the  waters 
of  a  region  of  twice  that  extent.  The  Danube  pursues 
a  course  of  1,800  miles,  and  draws  its  waters  from  an 
expanse  of  no  less  than  55,000  square  miles.  And  the 
Volga,  in  its  slow  and  turbid  windings  of  2,100  miles, 
gathers  the  waters  of  nearly  one-half  the  great  empire 
of  Russia. 

Asia  is  traversed  by  a  more  magnificent  system  still. 
In  China  we  have  two  rivers,  each  over  3,000  miles 
long ;  and  in  Siberia,  two  others  that  rival  them  in  di- 
mensions. The  Irrawaddi  and  the  Majkaung,  in  Siam, 
are  both  rivers  of  royal  magnitude.  In  western  Asia, 
are  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris,  of  ancient  memory.  And 
British  India  has  principal  rivers,  whose  united  length 
exceeds  10,000  miles ;  of  which  the  most  celebrated  is 
the  Ganges,  which,  after  leaping  into  sight  for  the  first 
time  from  a  perpendicular  wall  of  ice  in  the  Himalayas, 
and  pursuing  a  course  of  nearly  1,900  miles,  draws  its 
sacred  waters  from  a  district  of  unequalled  fertility, 
embracing  an  area  of  not  less  than  400,000  square 
miles. 


THE    THIRD   DAY.  I93 

Africa  lias  but  comparatively  few  rivers.  The  Niger 
stretches  its  crooked  length  over  2,000  miles.  The 
Nile,  proceeding  from  its  long- veiled  sources,  after  wan- 
dering through  2,400  miles,  flows  through  its  remaining 
eight  hundred  miles,  without  receiving  a  single  tribu- 
tary. 

But  it  is  in  America  that  we  find  rivers  attain  their 
full  magnitude  and  grandeur.  The  St.  Lawrence  draws 
the  waters  of  300,000  square  miles ;  the  Mississippi,  of 
nearly  4,000  miles  length,  from  a  surfoce  of  1,000,000 
square  miles ;  and  the  Amazon  the  Avaters  of  a  region 
three  times  as  large  as  that  of  all  the  rivers  of  Europe 
that  empty  themselves  into  the  xVtlantic,  and  present- 
ing, near  its  mouth,  a  stream  of  the  gigantic  dimensions 
of  one  hundred  miles  width  and  six  hundred  feet 
depth. — In  the  rivers,  then,  we  have  a  system  of  drain- 
age and  irrigation,  of  extent  and  grandeur  commensu- 
rate with  the  amplitude  of  our  globe,  and  worthy  of 
Him,  who,  in  the  beginning,  scooped  out  their  channels, 
and  taught  them  all  their  devious  ways  to  the  deep. 

The  benefits  derived  to  the  world  from  its  network 
of  rivers  are  obviously  incalculable.  Besides  draining 
the  earth  of  its  surplus  waters,  without  which  some  of 
the  fairest  portions  of  its  surface  would  soon  be  sub- 
merged, and  become  forever  uninhabitable  by  man — 
they  are  the  means  by  Avhicli  all  living  creatures  on 
the  dry  land  are  furnished  with  their  needed  drink, 
and  man  with  a  most  valuable  supply  of  food  in  the 
fishes  they  breed.     They  also  02)en  noble  channels  of 

13 


194  THE    THIRD    DAY. 

commerce  with  distant  and  interior  countries ;  while, 
in  their  course  to  the  sea,  they  offer  unHmited  power 
and  facilities  for  manufacture.  The  value  and  import- 
ance of  this  great  arrangement  of  our  globe  are  strik- 
ingly evidenced  by  the  fact  that  rivers  have  built,  and 
have  furnished  the  wealth  of,  the  most  renowned  cities 
of  the  earth.  The  richest  monuments  of  art  and  in- 
dustry which  the  world  possesses  are  reflected  in  their 
waters.  Thebes  and  Memphis  owed  their  splendor  to 
the  Nile ;  and  Babylon  its  birth  and  greatness  to  the 
Euphrates.  The  Orontes  furnished  the  site  of  Antioch ; 
and  the  Tiber  founded  and  erected  Rome.  The  Thames 
has  given  to  England  its  London ;  and  our  own  noble 
rivers  have  built  us  all  the  richest  and  busiest  cities  of 
the  land. 

The  rivers  greatly  add  to  the  beauty  of  our  world. 
Many  of  its  most  picturesque  sceneries — its  mountain 
gorges,  its  wild  glens  and  ravines,  its  rushing  rapids 
and  roaring  cataracts,  which  entrance  the  beholder — 
are  due  to  the  action  and  flow  of  streams.  And  what 
can  be  more  interesting  to  the  mind,  or  more  delightful 
to  the  eye,  than  to  behold  the  river  at  length  emerging 
from  the  mountain's  confined  and  contorted  channel 
into  the  green  and  open  plain,  with  banks  lined  with 
stately  trees,  widening  and  winding  through  its  fertile 
meadows;  now  mirroring  the  beauties  of  town  and 
villas,  and  now  calmly  sweeping  through  the  po})ulous 
city,  and  bearing  on  its  placid  bosom  the  ships  and 
flajrs  of  different  nations!     Nowhere   does   our  world 


THE   THIRD  DAY.  I95 

array  itself  in  sweeter  or  more  pleasing  features  than 
along  its  river  banks.  Here  are  the  earth's  most  de- 
lightful spots.  A  river,  we  find,  was  essential  to  com- 
plete the  beauties  and  delights  of  Eden ;  and  it  is  with 
the  flow  of  the  "  River  of  the  waters  of  Life"  that  the 
Beloved  Disciple  gives  the  finishing  touch  to  his  sub- 
lime description  of  the  Paradise  above. 

REFLECTIONS. 

In  the  Rivers,  as  in  the  Mountains,  we  behold  good- 
ness, ever-flowing  goodness.  The  heathen  Greeks,  in 
order  to  represent  the  universal  power  and  beneficence 
of  Jupiter,  used  the  symbol  of  a  river  flowing  from  his 
throne.  Substituting  the  Living  God  for  that  imagin- 
ary deity,  there  w^ill  be  truth  and  deep  significance  in 
the  symbol.  Ever  since  the  morning  of  creation,  the 
rivers  have  been  the  appointed  ministers  of  his  bounty; 
fertilizing,  beautifying  and  blessing  everywhere  this 
abode  of  man.  And  while  the  mountains  lift  their 
towering  summits  to  the  glory  of  his  mighty  power,  the 
rivers,  all  their  journey  through,  sweetly  murmur 
praises  to  the  riches  of  his  goodness. 

Rivers,  like  mountains,  also,  have  their  sacred  asso- 
ciations. Their  meanderings  are  the  handwriting  of 
Heaven  in  the  soil  of  the  earth,  recording  its  own  great 
transactions.  The  Euphrates,  while  it  flows,  will  speak 
to  man  of  the  garden  of  innocence.  Arnon  and  Ja]> 
bok,  Kishion  and  Kedron,  will  never  cease  to  relate  to 
the  passing  traveller  their  ancient  memorials.    And  the 


19G  THE    THIRD    DAY. 

river  of  Egypt — to  a  hundred  generations  already 
passed  has  this  spoken  of  Jacob's  favorite  son,  of  God's 
oppressed  people,  and  of  their  hidden  deliverer  among 
the  reeds ;  and  to  all  the  generations  yet  to  come  will 
it  tell  the  same.  Its  mighty  cities  have  perished,  its 
kings  have  been  forgotten,  and  even  its  stupendous 
pyramids  are  crumbling  away ;  but  while  the  periodic 
waters  of  the  Nile  continue  to  rise  and  fall,  they  will 
continue  to  ripple  in  the  ears  of  men  the  undying  story 
of  Joseph,  and  of  the  brickmakers,  and  of  the  infant 
Moses  rescued  from  its  banks.  And  as  for  that  sacred 
stream,  the  Jordan,  its  very  name  is  pregnant  with  a 
thousand  memories  of  wonders  and  of  love.  Its  source, 
its  lakes,  its  shores,  its  quiet  pools,  its  murmuring  fords, 
its  mysterious  end — all  are  eloquent  of  Divine  deeds, 
and  miracles,  and  instructions ;  nor  will  its  voice  or  elo- 
quence lose  its  power  till  the  stream  of  time  is  lost  in 
the  ocean  of  eternity.  Vain,  then,  are  the  efforts  of 
the  wicked  to  efface  the  record  of  God,  or  to  extinguish 
the  religion  which  that  record  teaches.  They,  indeed, 
shall  perish,  but  this  shall  endure,  and  "  the  gates  of 
hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it."  While  the  mountains 
stand,  or  the  rivers  flow,  even  inanimate  nature  will 
thus  preach  to  the  ransomed  church  of  God,  of  his  Law 
and  of  his  Love  to  man. 

The  flow  of  Rivers  presents  a  striking  and  instruc- 
tive similitude  of  human  life.  ''  Life  bears  us  on  like 
the  stream  of  a  mighty  river.  Our  boat  at  first  goes 
down  the  vast  channel  through  the  playful  murmur  of 


TUE    THIRD  DAY.  I97 

the  little  brook,  .intl  the  willows  on  its  glassy  borders. 
The  trees  shed  their  blossoms  over  our  young  heads; 
the  flowers  on  the  brink  seem  to  ofler  themselves  to 
our  }'oung  hands.  We  are  happy  in  hope,  and  grasp 
eagerly  at  the  beauties  around  us ;  but  still  the  stream 
hurries  on,  and  still  our  hands  are  empty.  Our  course 
in  youth  and  manhood  is  along  a  wider  and  deeper 
flood,  amid  objects  more  striking  and  magnificent.  We 
are  animated  by  the  moving  picture  of  enjoyments. 
The  stream  bears  us  on,  and  joys  and  griefs  are  left 
behind  us.  AVe  may  be  shipwrecked,  but  we  cannot 
be  delayed :  or  rough  or  smooth,  the  river  hastens 
towards  its  home,  till  the  roar  of  the  ocean  is  in  our 
ears,  and  the  waves  beneath  our  feet,  and  the  floods 
are  lifted  up  around  us,  and  w^e  take  our  leave  of  earth 
and  its  inhabitants — till  of  our  future  voyage  there  is 
no  witness  save  the  Infinite  and  Eternal."* 


VEGETATION. 

And  the  earth  brought  forth  grass  and  herb,  yielding  seed  after  his 
kind,  and  the  tree  yielding  fruit  after  his  kind. 

In  the  foregoing  chapters  we  have  traced  the  footsteps 
of  the  Creator  in  "  preparing  the  dry  land" — in  describ- 
ing its  coasts,  elevating  its  mountains,  furrowing  out 
its  water-courses,  and  overspreading  its  soil ;  and  now 
we  are  called  to  witness  its  surface  sowed  and  j^lanted 

*  Heber. 


198  THE    THIRD   DAY. 

with  a  vast  and  marvellous  system  of  vegetation.  In 
following  the  creative  process  we  have,  thus  far,  seen 
but  matter  only — inorganic  matter  in  its  various  forms ; 
each  and  every  change  of  form  or  location,  in  the  air, 
the  earth,  and  the  water,  being  compelled  or  impressed 
by  a  force  from  without,  "ceasing  when  that  ceased, 
and  never  proceeding  beyond  its  compulsory  influence, 
either  in  direction  or  degree."  But  at  this  point  a  new 
phenomenon  is  introduced,  and  one  incomparably  in 
advance  of  all  that  has  gone  before.  Now  a  new  power 
is  seen  stirring  in  matter ;  a  power  not  only  of  selection 
or  adaptation,  but  of  assimilation,  and,  moreover  of 
reproduction.  It  is  here  for  the  first  time  we  witness 
Vitality  in  any  of  its  forms — a  principle  so  mysterious 
in  its  essence,  and  so  wonderful  in  its  influence,  as  to 
be  forever  worthy  our  most  devout  study  and  admira- 
tion. 

In  no  department  of  Nature  are  the  contriving 
Mind  and  creative  Hand  of  God  more  visible  than  in 
the  vegetable  kingdom.  Yet,  when  the  question  has 
been  put  to  some  who  reject  the  Bible  account  of  crea- 
tion, whence  these  vegetable  productions,  so  diverse 
and  so  wonderful  ?  they  have  answered,  "  They  are  the 
results  of  a  natural  tendency  to  combination,  inherent 
in  the  particles  of  matter."  But  no  such  imaginary 
tendency  will  serve  to  explain  these  marvels  of  our 
earth.  All  plants  are  formed  of  similar  component 
particles,  varying  only  in  their  proportion  and  arrange- 
ment.    Now  these  particles  could  not  have  an  inherent 


THE   THIRD   DAY.  ]99 

tendency  to  be  a  thousand  different  and  dissimilar 
things.  If  the  particles  or  elements  constituting  vegeta- 
tion had  a  natural  tendency  to  form  a  Rose,  the  same 
particles  or  elements  could  have  no  tendency  in  them- 
selves to  compose  a  melon  or  a  cocoanut.  All  tendency, 
if  such  a  thing  existed,  must  be  specific  and  uniform  ; 
otherwise  it  would  be  a  tendency  To  be  and  Not  to  be, 
which  is  absurd.  A  tendency  to  diversity  is  an  im- 
possibility. No  such  theory,  therefore,  can  explain  or 
account  for  the  endless  diversities  of  the  vegetable 
world.  It  is  in  fact  a  mere  fallacy  of  words  ;  for  not  a 
single  tendency  of  this  kind  has  been  proved  to  exist. 
Plants  are  in  their  structure  material  machines,  con- 
structed of  substances  taken  out  of  their  natural  and 
preceding  state,  and  so  conjoined  as  that  each  uni- 
formly produces  its  precise  and  determinate  effect  or 
fruit.  Now,  as  nothing  but  human  skill  and  workman- 
ship can  account  for  the  construction  of  a  watch,  an 
organ,  or  a  telescope,  so  nothing  but  Divine  agency 
and  intelligence  will  explain  the  manner  in  which  the 
inert  particles  of  matter  become  combined  into  a 
beautiful  flower,  a  fruitful  vine,  or  a  stately  oak ;  for  a 
careful  examination  will  soon  reveal  to  us  that  vegeta- 
ble arrangements  are  subject  to  mathematical  laws,  not 
less  exact  in  themselves  than  those  which  regulate  the 
movements  of  the  planets  in  their  orbits. 

The  sacred  Historian,  it  will  be  observed,  here  places 
the  creation  of  the  veaetable  before  that  of  the  animal 
kingdom;   and  this  is  the  natural  and  necessary  order 


200  THE    THIRD  DAY. 

of  things,  for  the  latter  is  dependent  on  the  former  for 
its  support.  Neither  niiin,  nor  beast,  nor  bird,  can 
draw  his  sustenance  directly  from  the  soil ;  its  juices 
and  particles  must  pass  through  the  laboratory  of 
vegetable  organization  before  i\\Qy  are  fit  nourishment 
for  animal  life.  Vegetation  could  have  existed  without 
animals ;  but  animals  could  not  have  lived  without 
vegetables.  Hence  we  see  the  correctness  of  the 
Mosaic  account  in  placing  plants  before  animals. 

The  vegetation  of  the  earth,  in  the  History  before  us, 
is  described  and  comprehended  under  three  general 
divisions  :  First,  Grasses  ;  second.  Herbs  yielding  seed ; 
Third,  Trees  yielding  fruit.  And  here  Ave  have  pre- 
cisely the  system  adopted  by  botanists  after  ages  of 
study,  as  the  true  arrangement  and  classification  of  the 
vegetable  kingdom.  These  seedless,  and  these  seed- 
bearing,  and  these  fruit-bearing  plants,  are  identical 
with  the  acotijlldons,  monocotyUdons,  and  dicotyJldons 
of  Linneus,  Jussieu,  De  Candolle,  and  all  modern 
botanists.  And  it  is  both  curious  and  interesting  to 
remark,  that  a  system  which  it  has  taken  centuries  to 
mature,  and  which  successive  botanists  have  labored 
age  after  age  to  advance  to  perfection,  should  at  last 
prove  i\iQ;  very  same  as  that  enunciated  by  Moses 
thirty-three  centuries  ago ;  and  that  naturalists  after 
wandering  for  thousands  of  j^ears  more  and  more  from 
this  true  system,  should  gradually  and  unconsciously 
have  returned  to  it,  and  never  discover  the  identity 
until  after  the  return  was  made !     Have  we  not,  then, 


THE    THIRD    DAY.  201 

in  tills  fact,  a  pleasing  evidence,  and  one  altogether 
abo\e  suspicion,  that  the  pen  which  traced  the  history 
of  creation  was  guided  by  Him  who  designed  and  crea- 
ted the  whole  vegetable  world  ? 

Each  of  the  above  classes  includes  numerous  orders^ 
eacli  order  a  number  of  genera,  each  germs  many  species, 
and  ever}'  species  a  number  of  individuals  defying  all 
enumeration.  So  diversified  in  character,  and  so  pro- 
lific in  nature,  are  the  vegetable  creations,  that  they 
have  spread  and  taken  possession  of  every  spot  and 
region  of  the  earth's  surface.  They  are  found  in  every 
variety  of  situations,  and  grow  under  conditions  the 
most  opposite  and  contrary.  We  see  them,  in  one 
form  or  another,  spring  up  and  thrive,  where  before- 
hand vre  should  have  supposed  there  was  neither  food 
nor  foothold  for  them,  and  should  have  said  their  exist- 
ence was  impossiljle.  Some  grow  and  flourish  at  the 
bottom  of  lakes  and  rivers ;  many  spring  up,  and  not  a 
few  of  them  of  rare  beauty,  in  the  midst  of  the  sandy 
and  arid  deserts;  others  plant  themselves  on  the  naked 
rock,  and  send  down  their  roots  to  draw  up  their  food 
from  the  scanty  moisture  of  its  crevices.  In  a  word, 
vegetable  life  appears  to  be  adaj^ted  to  every  possible 
situation  that  the  surface  of  the  globe  presents — to  the 
bed  of  the  sea,  to  the  cavern  of  the  mountain,  to  the 
bare  granite,  to  the  cinders  of  the  volcano,  to  the  stag- 
nant pool,  and  the  emerging  reef,  to  the  heated  sands 
of  the  Sahara,  and  to  the  frozen  regions  of  the  pole.  In 
all  these  situations  vegetable  organizations  of  one  kind 


202  THE    THIRD   DAY. 

or  anotlier  have  been  found.  What  matchless  skill  do 
we  herein  behold  in  overcoming  difficulties  and 
extremes  ! 

Nothing  can  be  more  astonishing  than  the  unbounded 
variety  of  trees,  herbs,  and  grasses,  that  adorn  the 
earth ;  nor  can  anything  more  clearly  exliibit  the 
abounding  goodness  of  the  Creator.  Nothing  that  either 
the  necessity,  or  the  improvement,  or  the  pleasure  of 
his  creatures  could  demand,  appears  to  be  Avanting. 
Grasses  and  herbs,  in  endless  diversity,  abound,  to  meet 
the  various  tastes  and  habits  of  all  living  things. 
Fruit-plants,  and  fruit-trees,  adapted  to  every  climate 
and  soil,  proffer  food  to  man,  and  beast,  and  bird,  in 
every  form  and  of  every  flavor.  Flowers  to  delight  us 
with  their  beauties,  and  to  regale  us  with  their  odors. 
Shrubs  and  vines,  without  number,  to  shade  and  adorn 
our  habitations.  Add  to  all  these  the  forest  trees, 
Avhich  offer  to  man  timber  fitted  for  all  the  purposes  of 
art  and  industry — the  soft  pine  and  poplar ;  the  hard 
oak,  beech  and  holly ;  the  light  cedar  and  lime ;  the 
heavy  ebony  and  lignum  vita3 ;  the  flowery  mahogany 
and  rosewood ;  the  tough  hickory  and  elm ;  the  incor- 
ruptible teak,  and  durable  yew ;  and  a  hundred  other 
kinds  adapted  both  for  use  and  ornament.  What  mu- 
nificence is  here  displayed  !  The  Creator  might  have 
furnished  the  earth  with  vegetation,  and  yd  have 
limited  himself  to  a  few  species  of  each  of  the  three 
great  divisions ;  but,  instead  of  this,  we  scarce  find 
bounds  to  the  variety  in  each  of  them.     We  read  that 


THE    THIRD   DAY.  203 

there  are  100,000  different  species  of  plants,  and  we 
are  bewildered  at  the  thought  of  the  countless  varieties 
of  hue,  and  size,  and  form,  which  such  a  vast  host  ex- 
hibit. But  not  only  do  the  various  species  of  vegetation 
thus  differ,  but  even  the  individaals  of  the  same  species 
differ.  Of  the  innumerable  myriads  of  trees,  shrubs, 
herbs  and  grasses,  which  cover  the  earth,  no  two  indi- 
viduals can  be  found  that  are  alike  in  all  respects.  It 
is  even  probable  that  there  is  not  a  single  blade  of  grass 
in  the  meadow,  nor  a  single  grain  of  wheat  in  the  field, 
nor  a  single  leaf  in  the  forest,  that  will  not  be  found  to 
differ,  in  some  respects,  from  all  its  fellows.  Such  is 
the  diversity  with  which  this  terrestrial  abode  of  man 
has  been  furnished  and  adorned. 

The  general  vegetative  covering  given  to  the  earth 
is  grass ;  and  in  this,  as  in  all  else,  the  Divine  wisdom 
and  goodness  are  equally  conspicuous.  Upwards  of 
three  hundred  genera,  and  more  than  5,000  different 
species  of  grass,  grow  upon  the  surface  of  the  earth. 
This  needful  sustenance  of  our  herds  and  flocks,  and 
of  the  beasts  of  the  forests,  is  everywhere  spread  over 
its  dusky  soil,  and  is  so  constituted  as  to  grow  without 
care  or  cultivation ;  nay,  in  spite  of  every  kind  of  abuse 
and  violence.  Like  a  living  carpet,  it  covers  and 
adorns  the  face  of  nature.  Self-propagating,  and  self- 
perpetuating,  it  supplies  the  wants  of  every  passing  age 
with  undiminished  abundance.  Though  ever  trodden 
upon,  and  fed  upon,  it  still  lives.  Lay  it  low  to-day 
with  a  roller,  and  to-morrow  it  is  stronger  than  before. 


U,        ll,X^,^  VV^X.X»^*.V.„  *V         *..       K.V.V.X,QV 


204  THE   THIRD   DAY. 

Mow  it  with  the  scythe,  and  it  renews  and  multiplies 
its  shoots  with  fresher  vigor.     Crush  it  with  the  foot, 
and  it  sends  up  richer  perfume.     Bur}^  it  through  all 
the  winter  months,  beneath  ice  and  snow,  and  in  the 
spring  it  starts  forth  with  all  the  glowing  verdancy  of 
its  first  creation.     It  survives  every  abuse,  and  seems 
to  exult  under  all   kind  of  violence  and  suffering — a 
heautifal  emhiem  of  the  true  Christian  spirit.     Add  to 
all  this  its  heautij:    in  every  landscape  it  is  the  most 
conspicuous  object,  the  ground  color  on  which  nature 
embroiders  her  varied  patterns,  and  from  the  midst  of 
which  the  gay  hues  of  flowers  come  forth  in  greater 
brilliancy,  by  the  force  of  contrast,  to  arrest  the  admir- 
ing gaze.    A  model  of  symmetry,  elegance  and  strength, 
is  each  little  spear  of  grass  that  pierces  the  sod   and 
shimmers  in  the  sunshine.     "And  the  flower  of  the 
grass  " — it  is  a  miracle  of  design.     "  The  grass  of  the 
field  " — the  very  sound  carries  in  it  all  the  charms  of 
nature,  all  the  delights  of  spring  and  summer — the 
silent  scented  paths — the  green  banks  of  the  murmur- 
ing brook — the  waving  meadows — the  pastures  of  the 
meditative    shepherd — the   verdant    lawns,    glittering 
with  the  pearls  of  early  dew.     What  a  concourse  of 
wonders,  and  beauties,  and  blessings,  have  we,  then, 
even  in  the  grass,  that  we  so  heedlessly  and  constantly 
trample  under  foot ! 

The  general  color  given  to  vegetation  is  another  fact 
worthy  of  grateful  notice,  a  soft  and  pleasant  green. 
"  Had  the  fields  been  clothed  with  hues  of  deep  red,  or 


THE    THIRD    DAY.  205 

a  brilliant  white,  the  eye  would  have  been  dazzled  with 
the  splendor  of  their  aspect.  Had  a  dark  blue,  or  a 
black  color  generally  prevailed,  it  woidd  have  cast  a 
universal  gloom  over  the  face  of  nature.  But  an  agree- 
able green  holds  the  medium  between  these  two  ex- 
tremes, equally  removed  from  a  dismal  gloom  and 
excessive  splendor,  and  bears  such  a  relation  to  the 
structure  of  the  eye,  that  it  refreshes,  instead  of  tiring 
it,  and  supports,  instead  of  diminishing  its  force.  At 
the  same  time,  though  one  general  color  prevails  over 
the  landscape  of  the  earth,  it  is  diversified  l^y  an  ad- 
mirable variety  of  shades,  so  that  every  individual 
object  in  the  vegetable  world  can  be  accurately  distin- 
guished from  another ;  thus  producing  a  beautiful  and 
variegated  appearance  over  the  whole  scenery  of  nature. 
'  Who  sees  not  in  all  these  things  that  the  hand  of  the 
Lord  hath  wrought  this?'"* 

If,  from  these  general  features,  we  proceed  to  make 
closer  and  more  minute  examination  of  the  vegetable 
creation,  we  shall  discover,  at  every  step,  wonders  of 
wisdom  and  skill  surpassing  not  only  all  imitation,  but, 
all  understanding — we  shall  find  that  every  green  Ijlade 
that  springs  from  the  ground  is  a  magazine  of  contri- 
vances ;  that  every  leaf  is  a  theatre  of  organized  won- 
ders; that  every  fibre  of  tree,  or  straw,  or  stem,  vibrates 
to  the  quickening  influence  of  light ;  that  everj-  opening 
flower  holds  communion  with  the  distant  sun ;  and  that 

*  Dick's  Christ.  Phil. 


206  THE    THIRD   DAY. 

every  root  that  spreads  through  the  humid  soil,  by  a 
chemistry  of  its  own,  selects  such  elements  from  the 
earth  as  are  suitable  for  the  growth  and  perfection  of 
the  plant  which  it  bears — a  chemistry  so  wonderful 
and  infallible  in  its  operation,  that,  though  springing 
from  the  same  soil,  and  growing  side  by  side,  we  never 
gather  grapes  of  thorns,  nor  figs  from  thistles. — We 
now  proceed  to  notice  the  general  parts  and  functions 
of  trees  and  plants,  beginning  with 

1.  The  Roots.  The  roots  serve  two  important  and 
special  purposes ;  the  first  a  mechanical  one,  namely, 
to  attach  the  plant  or  tree  to  the  soil,  and  support  it 
there  in  its  proper  position.  How  this  is  done  need 
not  be  stated.  Our  admiration,  however,  cannot  but 
be  excited,  when  we  consider  that  the  force  exerted  by 
high  winds  upon  a  lofty  and  wide-spreading  tree,  full 
of  leaves,  is  immense,  and  yet  see  how  admirably  con- 
trived the  roots  are  to  take  hold  upon  the  ground,  and 
chain  it  there  through  all  the  tempests  of  the  year. 
But  roots  have  another  office ;  and  that  is,  to  select 
and  draw  suitable  juices  from  the  soil,  for  the  nourish- 
ment of  the  tree  or  plant.  This  is  done  by  little  pro- 
tuberances called  spongloles,  situated  at  the  extremities 
of  the  rootlets.  These  spongioles  appear  to  possess  the 
faculty  or  power  of  selecting  from  the  mixed  constitu- 
ents of  the  soil  their  food,  and  of  rejecting  what  is  un- 
suitable or  hurtful  to  the  plant.  The  roots  of  half  a 
dozen  plants  may  be  intertwined  and  matted  together 
in  the  same  mass  of  soil,  yet  the  spongioles  of  each  will 


THE    THIRD    DAY.  207 

take  up  its  own  peculiar  food  infallibly.  And  not  only 
this,  but  they  seem  to  discern  instinctively  where  spots 
of  earth,  rich  in  food,  lie,  and  will  push  and  stretch  to- 
ward them,  and  in  doing  this  will  often  force  their  way 
between  the  layers  of  rock,  and  even  through  solid 
masonry. 

2.  Leaving  the  roots,  we  ascend  to  the  Leaves.  The 
leaf  is  the  principal  organ  of  every  plant ;  from  it  the 
tree,  with  all  its  parts,  is  developed.  All  plantai 
are  produced  from  seeds  or  buds.  Now,  the  seed  in 
which  the  plant  originates,  when  carefully  examined, 
is  found  to  be  composed  of  a  leaf  rolled  tightly,  and 
altered  in  tissue  and  contents,  so  as  to  suit  its  new  re- 
quirements. The  bud  also  consists  of  leaves  folded  in 
a  peculiar  manner,  and  covered  with  hardened  scales 
to  protect  them  from  the  winter  cold.  And  the  flowers, 
the  glory  of  the  vegetable  world,  are  merely  leaves  ar- 
ranged so  as  to  protect  the  vital  organs  within  them, 
and  colored  so  as  to  attract  insects  to  scatter  the  fertil- 
izing pollen,  and  to  reflect  or  iibsorb  the  light  and  heat 
of  the  sun  for  ripening  the  seed.  Some  naturalists 
think  they  see  in  the  stem  also  clear  indications  of  its 
foliaceous  origin ;  and  maintain  that  they  are  able  to 
show,  that  even  the  fruit,  in  all  its  astonishing  variety 
of  texture,  color,  and  shape,  is,  in  like  manner,  but  a 
modified  leaf  Thus,  in  all  the  parts  and  organs  of  a 
plant  or  tree,  from  the  seed  to  the  fruit,  the  leaf  is 
found  to  be  the  basis  ^  and  from  this  the  whole  has  been 
developed. 


208  THE    THIRD    DAY. 

The  leaf  presents  a  distinct  and  accurate  type  of  the 
whole  plant  or  tree  upon  which  it  grows.  As  the 
builder  draws  upon  the  parchment  a  complete  plan  of 
his  intended  edifice,  so  the  Divine  Architect  has  en 
graven  on  the  leaf  the  plan  of  the  tree  of  which  it  is 
an  appendage.  "Each  leaf/'  says  McMiUan,  "in  shape 
and  formation,  may  be  regarded  as  a  miniature  picture, 
a  model  of  the  whole  plant  on  which  it  grows.  The 
outline  of  a  tree,  in  full  summer  foliage,  may  be  seen 
represented  in  the  outline  of  any  one  of  its  leaves.  Tall 
pyramidal  trees  have  narrow  long  leaves,  as  we  see  in 
the  needles  of  the  pine  ;  while  wide-spreading  trees,  on 
the  other  hand,  have  broad  leaves,  as  may  be  observed 
in  those  of  the  elm  or  sycamore.  The  correspondence 
is  remarkably  exact,  and  cannot  fail  to  strike  with 
Avonder  every  one  who  notices  it  for  the  first  time. 
Examining  the  leaf  more  carefully,  we  find  that  the 
fibrous  veins,  which  ramify  over  its  surface,  bear  a  close 
resemblance  to  the  ramification  of  the  trunk  and 
branches  of  the  parent  tree;  they  are  both  given  ofi*at 
the  same  angles,  and  are  so  precisely  alike  in  their 
complexity  or  simplicity,  that  from  a  single  leaf,  or 
even  a  part  of  a  leaf,  we  can  predicate,  with  the  utmost 
certainty,  the  ajDpearance  of  the  whole  tree  from  which 
it  fell.  It  has  further  been  remarked,  tluit  trees  which 
are  feathered  with  branches  down  to  the  ground,  have 
leaves  with  verv  short  footstalks;  while  trees  that  have 
long,  naked  trunks,  have  leaves  with  lengthened  foot- 
stalks.    In  tree,  and  shrub,  and  grass,  the  plant-pattern 


THE   THIRD  DAY.  209 

is  repeated  in  the  leaf-pattern ;  and,  in  some  instances, 
the  resemblance  is  very  extraordinary." 

If  we  pursue  our  study  of  leaves  still  further,  and 
centemplate  iXic'ir  chemical  functions,  we  shall  find  each 
a  marvel  and  a  mystery  in  itself.  Every  leaf  is  an  in- 
dividual, gifted  with  peculiar  powers ;  its  stomata  and 
other  organs,  constitute  a  complete  laboratory ;  it  ab- 
sorbs air,  and  exhales  moisture ;  it  elects  the  carbon, 
and  sends  forth  as  useless  the  excess  of  oxygen ;  it  ex- 
tracts from  the  sunbeam  its  clilorophyl,  and  with  it 
adorns  itself  in  the  charms  of  verdancy.  In  a  word,  it 
embodies  in  its  thin  and  distended  form  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  examples  of  organic  chemistry.  It  is  at 
once  full  of  science  and  full  of  poetry. 

3.  Let  us  glance  next  at  the  Flowers.  Flowers  are 
the  most  beautiful  productions  of  the  vegetable  king- 
dom ;  and,  as  to  the  delicacy  of  their  forms,  the  beauty 
of  their  coloring,  and  the  sweetness  of  their  odor,  seem 
pre-eminently  designed  for  the  pleasure  of  man,  for  he 
alone  of  all  the  living  tenants  of  the  earth  is  capable 
of  a2)j)reciating  them.  Indeed,  in  the  flowers,  the 
Divine  Hand  appears  to  have  combined  all  the  elements 
of  pure  and  refined  enjoyment  for  his  earthly  offspring. 
While  they  minister  to  the  delight  of  his  senses,  they 
at  the  same  time  softly  and  sweetly  read  to  his  mind 
lessons  of  innocence  and  wisdom,  well  calculated  to 
make  him  a  wiser  and  better  being.  "Whether  we 
contemplate  the  symmetry  of  the  stems  and  leaves,  the 

splendor  and  harmony  of  their  colors,  the  delicacy  of 
14 


210  TUE   THIRD   DAY. 

their  organs,  the  variety  of  their  tints,  or  the  delicious 
fragrance  they  everywhere  breathe  around  us — they 
exhibit  to  us  wonders  and  excellencies  surpassing  all 
admiration.  The  statement  that  "  Solomon  in  all  his 
glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these,"  may  seem  to 
the  ignorant  a  forced  expression ;  but  it  is  in  fact  one 
beautifully  true.  Take  Solomon's  most  admired  pur- 
ple, or  take  even  the  finest  fabric  produced  by  the  ut- 
most ingenuity  of  modern  skill,  and  view  it  through  a 
microscope,  and  it  becomes  hideous  ropes  and  rags, 
while  "  the  lily  of  the  field,"  viewed  through  the  same 
instrument,  becomes  infinitely  more  exquisite  in  its 
finish,  its  beauty  and  its  grace.  Flowers  are  the  gems 
of  the  earth,  the  productions  of  a  skill  and  taste  which 
never  fall  short  of  the  perfection  of  elegance. 

While  the  flowers  thus  diffuse  pleasure  all  around, 
they  at  the  same  time  perform  several  important  func- 
tions in  connection  with  the  reproduction  of  the  species. 
Among  flowers,  as  in  the  animal  kingdom,  is  found  the 
distinction  of  male  and  female.  All  flowers  are  fur- 
nished with  hoih.  stamens  and  pistils,  either  in  the  same 
individual,  or  in  two  distinct  individuals.  The  several 
parts  of  these  two  organs  are  formed  with  evident  and 
striking  adaptation  to  one  another.  The  pistil  contains 
the  germ  of  the  seed,  which  is  so  constituted  as  to 
require,  and  so  fashioned  as  to  be  ready  to  receive  the 
element  of  fertilization  from  without ;  and  the  stamen 
is  so  constituted  as  to  produce,  and  so  formed  as  to 
shed  that  element  thereon,  and  thus  perfect  the  seed. 


THE    THIRD    DAY.  211 

which  are  the  appointed  means  to  ensure  the  reproduc- 
tion of  tlie  species  while  the  individual  perishes. 

In  the  great  majority  of  cases  the  stamens  and  pistils 
are  found  on  the  same  plant,  the  former  overtopping 
the  latter,  an  adjustment  which  enables  the  stigma 
readily  to  receive  the  falling  pollen  as  it  drops  from  the 
anther.  In  drooping  flowers,  such  as  the  fuchsia,  the 
relation  of  these  parts  is  inverted  in  correspondence 
with  the  altered  position  of  the  flower — the  pistil  now 
overtopping  the  stamen.  In  fact,  nothing  can  be  more 
beautiful  and  impressive  than  the  great  variety  of 
adaptations  by  which,  in  special  cases,  communication 
is  secured  between  the  pollen  and  the  pistils.  In  the 
common  Barberry,  the  lower  part  of  the  filament  is  so 
sensitive,  that  whenever  it  is  touched,  the  stamen 
moves  forward  to  the  pistil.  In  the  Stylewort,  where 
the  stamens  and  pistils  are  united  in  one  column  which 
projects  from  the  flower,  this  column  is  very  irritable  at 
the  angle  where  it  leaves  the  flower,  and  when  touched, 
it  passes  with  a  sudden  jerk  from  one  side  to  the  other, 
and  thus  scatters  the  pollen.  The  process  of  communi- 
cation in  some  cases  is  effected  by  the  wind ;  and  in 
others,  after  a  more  complicated  and  ingenious  manner, 
by  insects. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  follow  this  process  of  fecunda- 
tion a  little  further.  In  order  to  accomplish  it  more 
effectually,  the  stigma  exudes  a  slightly  glutinous  fluid, 
to  which  the  grains  of  pollen  adhere.  These  grains 
have  each  two  coats,  one  of  which  bursts  when  the 


212  THE    THIRD  DAY. 

grain  is  ripe,  and  the  other,  in  touching  the  stigma, 
elongates  itself  into  the  shape  of  a  slender  tube,  passing 
downward  through  the  style  into  the  ovary,  and  so 
conveying  to  the  germ  the  vivifying  fluid.  "  The  cells 
of  the  stigma  are  beautifully  contrived  to  admit  the 
passage  of  these  tubes,  as  they  are  long,  and  extremely 
loose  in  texture,  at  the  same  time  so  moist  and  elastic 
as  to  be  easily  compressed  when  necessary.  It  is  so 
contrived  that  the  mitiute  particles  contained  in  the 
grains  enter  slowly  to  the  ovary,  as  it  seems  necessary 
that  the  fecundating  matter  should  be  admitted  by 
degrees.  It  is  also  necessary  that  the  tube  should 
enter  the  foramen  of  the  ovule ;  and  as  the  ovule  is  not 
always  in  a  proper  position  to  receive  it,  it  will  be 
found  to  erect  itself  or  to  turn,  as  the  case  may  be, 
while  the  granules  of  the  pollen  are  passing  down  the 
tubes."* 

Now  one  important  office  of  the  beautiful  flowers  is 
to  protect  and  cherish  these  delicate  parts  and  processes 
of  rej)roduction ;  and  amid  all  the  profusion  of  their 
elegance,  and  the  variety  of  their  forms,  this  end  is 
never  for  once  forgotten.  Most  admira.bly  do  they  ful- 
fil this  function  ;  as  if  instinct  with  parental  tenderness, 
they  open  their  bosoms  to  the  sun,  they  bend  tow^ard 
him,  and  not  unfrequently  follow  him  in  his  circuit, 
that  from  morning  till  evening  they  may  receive  his 
full  vivifying  beams.  When  night  is  coming  on,  or  a 
storm  is  approaching,  if  their  precious  charge  is  so  deli- 

*  Chambers'  Vegct.  Phys.,  p.  79. 


THE   THIRD  DAY.  213 

cate  as  to  be  liable  to  injury  by  cold  or  wet,  they  care- 
fully draw  their  leaves  together,  and  enclose  their 
sacred  trust  within  a  beauteous  canopy,  which,  when 
the  threatening  evil  is  removed,  they  unfold  as  before. 
So  vigilant  iu  this  duty  are  many  flowers,  that  they 
have  been  observed  to  shut  their  petals  during  an 
eclipse  of  the  sun,  and  to  open  them  again  as  soon  as 
the  obscuration  was  past. 

Flowers  exhibit  many  powers  and  properties  which 
the  science  of  man  has  never  been  able  to  explain. 
Some  will  instantly  close  upon  the  slightest  touch. 
Some  will  flutter,,  as  if  in  alarm,  upon  sudden  exposure 
to  intense  light.  Some  seem  possessed  of  limited  pow- 
ers of  locomotion ;  a  certain  species  of  wild  oats,  when 
placed  upon  a  table,  will  spontaneously  move;  pea- 
blossoms  always  turn  their  backs  upon  the  wind ;  the 
heliotrope  always  faces  the  sun ;  the  tulip  opens  its 
petals  when  the  weather  is  fine,  but  closes  them  during 
rain  and  darkness.  The  pond-lily  closes  its  pure  white 
leaves  at  night,  as  it  lies  on  its  watery  bed,  but  unfolds 
them  again  in  the  morning.  On  the  other  hand,  some 
flowers  open  only  at  night ;  that  splendid  flower,  the 
night-blooming  cereus,  is  of  this  kind ;  it  opens  but 
once,  and  that  in  the  night,  for  a  few  hours  only,  then 
wilts  and  dies  without  ever  admitting  the  light  of  day 
into  its  bosom.  Some  open  and  shut  at  certain  hours, 
and  that  so  regularly  as  to  indicate  the  time  of  day, 
like  the  sindrimal  of  Ilindostan,  which  opens  at  four  in 
the  evening  and  closes  at   four  in  the  morning.     Dr. 


214  THE   THIRD  DAY. 

Good,  in  his  Booh  of  Nature,  describes  a  water-plant, 
valisneria  spiralis,  which,  at  a  certain  season,  detaches 
itself  from  its  stem,  and,  like  a  gallant  suitor,  sails 
complacently  over  the  waters  in  pursuit  of  a  mate,  till 
he  find  her.  Other  flowers  there  are,  as  the  nepenthes, 
that  will  adroitly  catch  flies  and  devour  them.  Others 
again  possess  a  most  extraordinary  luminous  property ; 
the  nasturtium,  if  plucked  during  sunshine,  and  carried 
into  a  dark  room,  will  there  show  itself  by  its  own 
light;  a  jDlant  that  abounds  in  the  jungles  of  Madura 
illumines  the  ground  to  a  distance  all  around ;  and 
many  species  of  lichens,  creeping  along  the  roofs  of 
caverns,  lend  to  them  an  air  of  enchantment,  by  the 
soft  and  clear  light  they  diffuse.  Who  can  explain  to 
us  these  phenomena  of  flowers  ?  Who  but  must  see 
that  the  hand  and  counsel  of  Infinite  Wisdom  are  con- 
cerned in  the  production  of  these  vegetable  wonders ! 

I  add  but  one  fact  more  respecting  flowers,  and  that 
is,  the  power  which  each  flower  has  to  regulate  for  itself 
the  heat  of  the  sun.  It  is  well  known  that  objects  re- 
flect or  absorb  heat  from  the  sun  according  to  the  shade 
of  their  color — that  a  perfectly  white  surface  will  reflect 
or  throw  back  all  its  rays,  and  remain  comparatively 
cool  beneath  them  through  a  whole  summer's  day — 
that  a  dark-colored  object  will  absorb  part,  and  reflect 
part,  and  be  heated  in  proportion  to  the  darkness  of  its 
shade — and,  that  a  perfectly  black  surface  will  absorb 
all  the  rays,  and  become  quite  hot  in  the  sun.  And 
this  property  of  colors  reveals  to  us  a  most  beautiful 


THE   THIRD  DAY.  215 

arrangement  in  the  constitution  of  flowers.  ••'  To  every 
plant,"  says  the  author  of  llie  Poetry  of  Science,  "  that 
spreads  out  its  leaves  to  the  sunshine,  and  to  every 
flower  that  lends  its  beauty  to  the  earth,  is  given  that 
particular  shade  and  color  that  will  measure  for  it  the 
precise  degree  of  heat  which  its  own  peculiar  constitu- 
tion requires.  The  chalice-like  cup  of  the  pure  white 
lily,  floating  on  the  lake,  the  variegated  tulip,  the  deli- 
cate rose,  and  the  intensely-colored  dahlia — have  each 
powers  peculiar  to  themselves  for  drinking  in  the  warm 
life-stream  of  the  sun,  and  for  radiating  it  back  again 
to  the  thirsty  atmosphere."  And  thus  every  plant  is 
endowed  with  functions  which  silently,  but  unerringly, 
determine  the  quantity  of  heat  which  it  needs,  and  the 
relative  amount  of  dew  which  shall  wet  its  leaves  and 
its  flowers.  The  outward  form  and  color  of  a  flower, 
indeed,  delight  our  eye  and  excite  our  admiration  ;  but 
when  w^e  come  to  contemplate  this  wonderful  arrange- 
ment, which  so  happily  regulates  the  power  of  the  sun- 
beams that  are  incessantly  poured  into  its  delicate 
bosom,  our  wonder  must  be  raised  to  the  higher  feeling 
of  profound  adoration  toward  the  Great  Designer  and 
Maker  of  all. 

Such  are  the  floral  creations.  And  now,  what  could 
exceed  them  in  beauty  or  perfection?  Nothing,  in 
form,  function,  or  constitution,  is  defective ;  nothing  is 
left  to  chance  or  accident ;  but  every  organ,  every  pro- 
cess, every  property,  to  its  most  minute  and  insignifi- 
cant details,  is  numifestly  contrived  and  perfected  by 


216  THE    THIRD  DAY. 

omniscient  and  unerring  skill.  Who  can  set  his  eye 
upon  a  flower,  delicate,  and  beauteous,  and  fragrant, 
and  lay  his  hand  upon  the  damp  and  dusky  ground 
from  which  it  springs,  but  must  exclaim,  with  the  pious 
peasant  of  Scotland,  "  What  but  almighty  power  could 
extract  this  from  that !"  And  when  we  observe  that 
each  of  the  tiny  bristles  of  the  leaves,  and  even  each 
shadowy  down  of  the  petals,  too  minute  for  the  unaided 
eye,  is  measured  and  planted  with  undeviating  dis- 
crimination and  precision,  can  we  doubt  the  truth,  or 
refuse  the  consolation,  of  the  Saviour's  assurance,  "  The 
very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered  ?" 

4.  Following  the  order  of  nature,  we  are  next  brought 
to  notice  the  Seeds.  Here  opens  before  us  another  field 
of  great  interest.  A  seed,  a  grain  of  seed,  as  commonly 
regarded,  is  but  an  insignificant  object,  and  attracts 
but  little  attention ;  yet  that  grain  of  seed,  within  its 
small  circumference,  and  beneath  its  dusky  rind,  em- 
bodies an  organization  possessing  properties  which  the 
united  wisdom  and  ingenuity  of  mankind  could  never 
produce.  In  the  seed  lies  the  future  plant  in  miniature. 
The  whole  of  the  beauteous  lily,  which  engages  the  ad- 
miration of  every  beholder,  once  lay  folded  up  within 
a  little  dingy  bulb ;  its  leaves  and  blossoms  are  only  a 
development  of  what  was  hidden  within  the  scales  of 
that  unattractive  root.  And  within  the  narrow  com- 
pass of  the  acorn  are  folded  up,  with  infinite  nicety,  all 
the  rudiments  of  the  towering  oak. 

The  origination  of  the   seed  in  the  bosom  of  the 


THE    THIRD    DAY.  217 

flower  lias  already  been  described.  As  soon  as  that 
step  has  been  fully  accomplished,  the  flower  decays, 
while  the  seed-vessel  forms,  and  increases  in  bulk.  And 
now  let  us  devote  a  moment  to  look  at  the  admirable 
contrivance  of  these  vessels,  or  capsules,  in  which  the 
various  seeds  are  lodged  and  protected  while  they  ma- 
ture. These  are  so  many,  so  diverse,  and  often  so 
complicated  in  their  forms  and  materials,  that  it  would 
seem  as  if  they  had  been  adopted  only  for  the  sake  of 
demonstrating  the  inexhaustible  resources  of  the  Divine 
invention.  Some  are  invested  in  close  tunicles,  some 
are  surrounded  M'ith  hard  shells,  some  are  elaborately 
folded  in  leaves,  some  are  deposited  in  rows  within 
parchment  pods,  some  are  in  cases  lined  with  softest 
velvet,  some  are  wrapped  in  wool,  some  are  held  as  in 
blown  bladders,  some  are  placed  between  hard  scales, 
some  are  defended  b}^  pointed  thorns,  some  are  housed 
as  beneath  a  roof,  some  are  within  slits  made  in  the 
edge  of  the  leaves,  some  are  buried  in  the  heart  of  the 
fruit,  and  some  in  various  other  manners.  So  diverse 
are  the  ways  in  which  Infinite  Wisdom  can  accomplish 
its  purpose  Avith  equal  ease  and  equal  success. 

The  fecundity  of  plants,  or  their  capacity  for  pro- 
ducing seed,  jDresents  us  with  another  remarkable  fact. 
The  common  cereals  often  yield  from  sixty  to  a  hundred 
fold.  One  castor  oil  plant  will  produce  1,500,  one  sun- 
flower 4,000,  and  one  thistle  24,000  seeds  in  a  single 
season.  From  one  grain  of  maize,  or  Indian  Corn,  if  it 
and  all  its  produce  were  from  year  to  year  planted  and 


218  THE   THIRD  DAY. 

duly  cultivated,  in  favorable  soil  and  climate,  sufficient 
seed  might  be  raised  in  Jive  years  to  plant  a  hill  of  corn 
Avith  three  grains  on  every  square  yard  of  dry  land 
upon  the  face  of  the  globe ;  and  in  ten  years  sufficient 
to  plant  the  whole  solar  system  in  the  same  manner ! 
Such  were  the  import  and  efficacy  of  the  creative  fiat, 
"  Let  the  earth  bring  forth  herb  yielding  seed  after  his 
kind."  And  this  unbounded  fecundity  is  one  of  the 
many  demonstrations  we  have  in  creation  of  the  good- 
ness of  God,  who  has  thus  made  abundant  i3rovision, 
not  only  to  perpetuate  vegetation,  but  also  to  meet  the 
wants  of  all  his  creatures. 

Another  interesting  fact  connected  with  seeds  is  the 
arrangement  made  for  their  disioersion.  If  all  seeds 
were  to  drop,  and  remain  upon  the  spots  where  they 
are  produced,  they  could  never  germinate,  nor  be  of 
much  avail  if  they  did.  Adequate  means  for  their  dis- 
semination, therefore,  w^ere  all-important ;  nor  was  this 
point  overlooked,  multifarious  as  were  the  works  of  this 
day.  Most  interesting  and  beautiful  are  the  contri- 
vances employed  for  this  end.  Sometimes  the  pericarp, 
or  the  vessel  containing  the  seed,  opens  elastically,  as 
with  a  mechanical  spring,  and  discharges  the  seeds  con- 
tained in  its  cavity  to  a  considerable  distance.  The 
Tiura  crepitans,  of  the  West  Indies  and  South  America, 
opens  its  pericarp  with  a  report  loud  as  that  of  a  pistol, 
and  scatters  its  seed  with  a  great  force.  Some  seeds, 
as  those  of  the  thistle  and  dandelion,  are  provided  with 
a  beautiful  stellate  down,  which  serves  as  wings,  and 


THE   THIRD  DAY.  219 

by  means  of  which  they  often  travel  many  miles.  The 
spores  of  the  ferns  and  mosses  have  been  constituted  so 
minute  and  light  that  they  rise  in  the  atmosphere,  and 
are  conveyed  by  the  winds  across  seas  and  oceans. 
Other  seeds,  as  the  burdock,  are  furnished  with  little 
hooks,  by  means  of  which  they  cling  to  men  and  beasts 
as  they  pass  by,  and  are  thus  scattered  far  and  wide. 
Other  seed  still,  like  those  of  the  milk-weed  and  willow- 
herb,  are  hairy,  and  so  are  easily  lifted  by  every  cur- 
rent of  air,  and  carried  to  a  distance.  Birds,  also,  are 
important  agents  in  this  great  work ;  birds  are  natural 
planters  of  trees ;  crows  have  been  seen  planting  acorns 
over  wide  tracts  of  land,  from  which  have  sprung  valu- 
able groves  of  oak.  Add  to  all  the  above  the  fact,  that 
the  seeds  of  many  berries,  and  of  small  fruits,  will 
grow  after  passing  through  the  bodies  of  birds ;  and  as 
many  of  the  feathered  tribes  in  autumn,  when  the 
seeds  are  ripe,  migrate  from  north  to  south,  they  often 
void  the  seeds  they  have  eaten  at  the  distance  of  hun- 
dreds of  miles.  Some  seeds  are  covered  with  a  viscid 
substance,  by  which  they  adhere  to  whatever  touches 
them,  and  in  this  manner  are  carried  from  place  to 
place.  Many  of  the  heavier  seeds,  such  as  acorns,  are 
gathered  and  buried  by  mice,  squirrels,  etc.,  of  which, 
while  part  is  consumed,  many  are  left  in  the  ground  to 
germinate.  Rains,  and  rivers,  also,  often  carry  seeds 
hundreds  and  even  thousands  of  miles  from  where  they 
were  produced ;  and  the  ocean  not  unfrequently  bears 
them  to  the  shores  of  other  fontinents,  or  wafts  them 


220  THE   THIRD  DAY. 

upon  the  coral  islands  just  risen  from  its  bosom,  and 
thus  soon  covers  them  with  vegetation.  In  these  vari- 
ous ways  was  the  surface  of  the  earth  overspread  with 
the  vegetable  creations  of  the  third  day ;  and,  as  we 
may  well  suppose,  the  work  was  not  very  long  in  being 
accomplished. 

The  seed  having  been  dispersed  and  dropped  in  the 
soil,  the  next  process  to  be  noticed  is  its  germination. 
To  this  certain  conditions  are  necessary.  A  certain 
degree  of  heat  must  be  had ;  at  a  temperature  below 
freezing  point,  seed  will  not  germinate,  and  if  the  tem- 
perature be  up  to,  or  very  near,  the  boiling  point  of 
water,  it  will  not  germinate,  but  die.  The  most  suit- 
able temperature  for  each  particular  plant  varies 
between  these  limits  according  to  the  nature  of  the 
plant.  Again — if  seeds  have  the  necessary  warmth  and 
moisture,  yet  if  exposed  to  bright  light,  they  will  not 
germinate;  shade  is  always,  absolute  darkness  some- 
times, necessary  for  the  success  of  the  germinating  pro- 
cess. If  the  seed  enjoys  all  the  required  conditions  of 
shade,  water,  air  and  heat,  it  Avill  grow  and  flourish. 
When  a  seed,  a  grain  of  wheat,  say,  is  cast  into  the 
ground,  from  one  end  of  it  issues  a  plumule,  or  tender 
sprout;  from  the  other  a  number  of  fibrous  threads; 
the  plumule  immediately  tends  upward,  and  works  for 
the  air  and  light,  and  becomes  a  plant ;  the  fibres  also 
at  once  struggle  downwards,  and  become  the  roots. 
"  Now,  what  is  a  little  remarkable,"  says  Paley,  "  the 
parts  issuing  from  the  geed  take  their  respective  di- 


THE    THIRD    DAY.  221 

rections,  into  whatever  j^osition  the  seed  itself  liappons 
to  be  cast.  If  the  seed  be  thrown  into  the  wrongest 
possible  position,  that  is,  if  the  ends  in  the  ground  point 
the  reverse  of  what  they  ought  to  do,  everything,  never- 
theless, goes  on  right.  The  sprout,  after  being  pushed 
out  a  little  way,  makes  a  bend  and  turns  upwards ;  the 
fibres,  on  the  contrary,  after  shooting  at  hrst  upward, 
turn  down."  This  fact  is  not  more  wonderful  than  it 
is  important ;  for,  how  unprofitable  would  be  the  labors 
of  the  husbandman,  if  only  the  grains  that  happened  to 
be  right  end  up  would  prove  productive,  for  scarce  one 
seed  out  of  a  hundred  would  be  found  in  this  position. 
Or,  how  endless  would  be  his  toil,  if  he  had,  with  care, 
to  place  each  particular  seed  in  the  ground  with  plum- 
ule end  up.  But  for  the  present  wise  and  happy  con- 
stitution of  the  seed,  by  which  each  part  jDroceeds  in 
its  right  direction,  and  to  fulfil  its  appointed  office, 
where  would  be  our  daily  bread  ?  How  manifest  both 
the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  in  this  thing. 

The  longevity  of  seeds,  or  the  power  which  they  pos- 
sess for  retaining  the  vital  principle  for  lengthy  periods 
of  time,  is  another  remarkable  fact  to  be  noticed  here. 
This  is  an  important  provision,  as  it  sujDplies  a  safe- 
guard against  the  extinction  of  the  species  under  un- 
favorable circumstances,  which  may  often  occur.  If 
the  condition  of  things  noio  will  not  i)ermit  the  little 
seed  to  germinate  and  grow,  it  still  retains  its  vitality, 
as  if  hoping  for  a  better  day.  A  grain  of  mustard  seed 
has  been  known  to  lie  in  the  earth  for  a  hundred  years, 


222  THE    THIRD    DAY. 

and  as  soon  as  it  had  acquired  a  favorable  situation,  to 
shoot  as  vigorously  as  if  just  gathered  from  the  plant. 
Seeds  of  wild-flowers,  buried  beneath  mounds  that  have 
existed  from  time  immemorial,  as  soon  as  exposed  to 
sun  and  rain,  have  sprouted  forth  as  vigorously  as  if 
they  had  been  the  produce  of  last  summer.  The  lapse 
of  ages  will  not  extinguish  life  in  some  of  the  most 
valuable  seeds.  Several  examples  of  this  were  given 
on  a  former  page ;  '^  I  will,  therefore,  add  only  one  more. 
"  In  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Hadrian,  a  man  died 
soon  after  he  had  eaten  plentifully  of  raspberries.  He 
was  buried  at  Dorchester.  About  thirty  years  ago  the 
remains  of  this  man,  together  with  coins  of  the  Roman 
Emperor,  were  discovered  in  a  coffin  at  the  bottom  of  a 
barrow,  thirty  feet  under  the  surface.  The  man  had 
thus  lain  undisturbed  for  some  1700  years.  But  the 
most  curious  circumstance  connected  with  the  case  was, 
that  the  raspberry  seeds  were  recovered  from  the 
stomach,  and  sown  in  the  garden  of  the  Horticultural 
Society,  where  they  germinated  and  grew  into  healthy 
bushes."  f  "What  a  wondrous  creation,  then,  have  we 
in  a  grain  of  seed !  What  a  mystery  is  its  life,  that 
can  thus  well  nigh  inmiortalize  its  tiny  and  delicate 
organism,  preserving  it  uninjured  and  unchanged 
through  the  lapse  of  hundreds  and  thousands  of  years ! 
As  plainly  do  the  small  and  dusky  seed  in  the  soil,  as 
the  most  brilliant  orbs  in  the  heavens,  proclaim,  "  The 
Hand  that  made  us  is  Divine." 

*  See  p.  62.  f  Benedicite,  p.  266. 


THE    THIRD   DAY,  223 

5.  The  Edible,  and  other  Useful  productions  of 
plants,  is  another  subject  that  demands  our  grateful 
consideration.  Here  opens  before  us  a  field  of  un- 
bounded munificence — here  is  everything  good  for  sus- 
tenance, pleasant  to  the  taste,  and  delightful  to  the 
eye ;  here  is  food  to  nourish  us,  materials  to  clothe 
us,  and  medicines  to  heal  us.  Nowhere  in  the  visible 
creation  do  we  behold  a  more  striking  display  of  the 
induliient  beneficence  of  our  Father  in  heaven  than  in 
the  fruits  of  the  earth.  Here  we  find  not  only  an 
abundant  provision  made  to  meet  our  actual  wants,  but 
an  endless  variety  to  gratify  our  tastes,  and  to  enhance 
our  pleasures.  God  might  have  limited  our  food  to  a 
few  comparatively  insipid  roots,  tubers,  and  bulbs  in 
the  ground;  but,  instead  of  this.  He  has  appointed 
j)lants,  herbs,  shrubs,  vines,  and  trees  of  every  imagin- 
able description,  to  produce  and  bring  forth  fruit  after 
their  kind  for  the  service  of  man.  He  might  have 
made  all  these  of  the  same,  or  nearly  the  same,  taste ; 
but  so  far  from  this  was  his  Divine  generosity,  that  we 
have  almost  an  interminable  variety  of  fragrance  and 
flavor,  of  sweetness  and  acid,  of  mellowness  and  pun- 
gency; and  all  so  wonderfully  suited  to  gratify  our 
taste,  to  stimulate  our  appetite,  and  to  yield  us  every 
required  and  desirable  nutriment  in  health  and  in  sick- 
ness. He  might  have  so  constituted  fruit  trees  and 
plants  as  that  their  production  would  be  confined  to 
one  particular  kind  of  soil,  or  one  special  climate ;  but, 
instead  of  this,  He  has  adapted  them,  in  one  form  or 


224  THE    THIRD    DAY. 

another,  for  all  soils,  and  for  every  habitable  climate 
of  the  globe,  so  that  all  His  children  may  be  sharers  of 
His  bounties.  Moreover,  He  might  have  so  arranged 
the  vegetable  creation  as  that  all  the  fruits  and  produc- 
tions of  the  earth  should  mature  and  ripen  at  the  same 
season,  but  His  Divine  wisdom  and  goodness  have 
strewn  them  along  in  succession  through  all  the  months 
of  the  summer  half  of  the  year,  so  as  constantly  to 
yield  us  a  fresh  and  varied  supply. 

To  the  foregoing  properties  of  fruit-bearing  plants 
and  trees  we  must  add  another  important  one — their 
capacity  for  improvement.  The  Creator  might  have  so 
made  these  as  to  be  unchangeable  in  their  character, 
unimprovable  by  any  art  or  effort  that  could  be 
brought  to  bear  upon  them;  but  in  his  wisdom  and 
kindness  He  has  so  constituted  them  as  at  once  to 
stimulate  the  ingenuity  and  reward  the  industry  of 
man,  by  being  susceptible  of  improvement  and  varia- 
tion without  limit.  And  mark  the  happy  results  of 
this  constitution  of  things.  Wheat,  in  its  native  state, 
is  but  an  inferior  and  straggling  seed,  and  may  be 
found  now  in  this  condition  on  the  French  and  Italian 
shores  of  the  Mediterranean,  under  the  name  oicegilops; 
but  by  long  years  of  patient  and  prudent  cultivation, 
this  has  been  brought  to  our  present  plump  and  prolific 
wheat.  The  same  is  true  of  potato,  turnip,  cabbage 
and  many  other  useful  vegetables.  The  crabapple,  in 
its  native  state  small  and  sour,  by  pruning,  grafting, 
fertilizing  the  pistil  of  one  tree  with  the  pollen   of 


THE   THIRD   DAY.  225 

another,  and  various  other  means,  has  been  improved 
and  brought  to  the  present  magnificent  fruit  of  our 
orchards.  By  similar  processes,  the  mountain  ash, 
instead  of  its  acid  and  unwholesome  berries,  has  been 
made  to  yield  the  sweet  and  juicy  pear;  and  from  no 
better  parentage  than  the  acrid  sloe  have  been  derived 
our  most  luscious  plums.  Who  can  be  blind  to  the 
wisdom,  or  insensible  to  the  goodness  displayed  in  this 
constitution  of  herbs  and  trees? 

Plants  not  only  feed,  but  clothe  us.  A  variety  of 
cloths  are  fabricated  from  grasses,  flags,  and  the  inner 
bark  of  trees.  But  among  the  most  useful  plants  for 
this  j^urpose  is  the  common  flax.  In  the  flax  plant, 
the  Creator  has  provided  man  with  a  material  for 
thread  and  cloth  of  a  most  suitable  and  durable  quality. 
And  that  our  whole  race  might  avail  themselves  of  its 
benefits,  He  adapted  its  constitution  to  nearly  every 
region  of  the  globe.  More  valuable  still,  if  possible,  is 
the  cotton  plant.  This  also  is  widely  disseminated — 
it  flourishes  in  India,  in  Egypt,  in  North  America,  and 
in  numerous  other  regions.  Of  the  commercial  value, 
or  of  the  various  and  beautiful  fabrics  manufactured 
out  of  this  article,  I  need  not  speak.  Sufiice  it  to  say, 
that  through  the  perfection  of  modern  machinery  it 
has  become  the  great  clothing  staple  of  the  Avorld. 

We  have  now  traversed  the  field  of  the  vegetable 
creation,  hastily  it  is  true,  yet  what  a  multitude  of 
beneficent  designs,  wonderful  contrivances,  and  valua- 
ble productions  have  we  seen  !     And  how  replete  with 

15 


226  THE   THIRD  DAY. 

lessons  of  wisdom  are  these  all !  Many  of  these  lessons 
have  been  pointed  out  in  the  course  of  the  foregoing 
illustrations ;  but  a  number  of  other  and  more  general 
reflections,  here  at  the  close  of  our  survey,  naturally 
suggest  themselves,  and  to  a  few  of  which  we  now 
desire  the  attention  of  the  reader. 

REFLECTIONS. 

In  vegetation  we  have  the  productions  of  Divine 
Chemistry !  Out  of  the  same  elements  we  here  behold 
the  utmost  diversity  of  results.  Ten  thousand  species 
of  herbs,  plants  and  trees,  springing  from  the  same  soil, 
watered  by  the  same  showers,  surrounded  by  the  same 
atmosphere,  and  warmed  by  the  same  sun — yet  how 
different  in  their  qualities !  Some  are  acid  and  some 
are  tasteless,  some  offering  the  richest  nourishment  and 
others  the  rankest  poison,  some  are  exhilarating  and 
some  stupefying,  a  few  are  as  sweet  as  honey  and  many 
as  bitter  as  the  waters  of  Marah,  some  secreting  oil 
while  others  are  exuding  gum,  some  sending  forth 
odors  that  delight  and  some  those  that  sicken  and 
offend — yet  all  these  are  constituted  of  the  same  four 
or  five  primary  elements,  the  diversity  arising  simply 
from  the  different  proportions  in  which  Infinite  Skill 
has  combined  them.  And  herein  is  chemistrj^  which 
man,  astonishing  as  his  progress  has  been  in  this 
science,  can  neither  imitate  nor  approach.  Man, 
indeed,  can  take  a  plant  and  separate  these  its  ele- 
ments, and  ascertain  their  exact  proportions,  but  he 


228  THE   THIRD  DAY. 

roots,  in  the  form  of  their  leaves,  and  in  the  texture  of 
their  stems — differing  in  their  flowers,  and  seeds,  and 
fruits — differing  in  the  rapidity  of  their  growth,  and 
circulation,  and  decay — differing  in  their  qualities  for 
absorbing  and  reflecting  the  heat  of  the  sun — and, 
differing  in  a  multitude  of  other  particulars !  In  the 
vegetable  kingdom  we  behold  a  diversity  all  but  end- 
less. In  their  creation,  then,  what  countless  ends  to 
be  secured.  What  an  infinitude  of  influences,  proper- 
ties and  agencies  to  be  determined.  And  what  an 
infinitude,  too,  of  weights,  and  measures,  and  propor- 
tions to  be  calculated.  Yet  in  the  Divine  Mind,  as  in 
a  vast  storehouse  of  glorious  ideas  and  designs,  the 
plans  of  all  were  perfect  and  complete  ere  ever  the 
onmipotent  word  to  clothe  the  earth  with  verdure  had 
gone  forth.  In  that  plan  nothing  was  forgotten,  noth- 
ing overlooked.  No  unforeseen  difficulty  arose,  no 
part  of  the  Divine  purpose  failed,  no  tree  or  plant 
or  blade  of  grass  came  short  of  its  designed  perfection. 
When  on  the  evening  of  this  da}^,  God's  all-seeing  eye 
surveyed  the  whole.  He  pronounced  the  work  all  very 
good. 

We  have  seen  that  everj^  plant  that  "springs  out  of 
the  ground  abounds,  from  root  to  leaf,  with  contri- 
vances of  exquisite  skill  and  nicety;  and  since  every 
contrivance  must  have  a  contriver,  and  no  contriver 
beneath  the  Deity  could  produce  those  of  vegetation,  it 
follows,  therefore,  that  every  individual  plant  and 
vegetable  is  the  immediate  work  of  God.     They  neither 


THE   THIRD   DAY.  229 

spin,  nor  weave,  nor  paint  themselves.  Wherever, 
then,  we  behold  growing  a  tree,  or  plant,  or  bush,  there 
God  himself  is  patiently  and  unremittingly  at  work. 
He  is  present  with  every  flower  that  springs  up  in  the 
garden,  or  the  field,  or  the  wilderness,  and  gives  to  it 
with  His  own  hand  every  leaf  that  adds  to  the  grace  of 
its  fashion,  and  every  tint  that  contributes  to  the  beauty 
of  its  coloring.  He  presides  over  it  from  the  first  im- 
pulse of  germination  to  the  last  moment  of  its  fiiding 
existence.  How  natural,  then,  and  how  conclusive, 
too,  is  the  inference,  that  if  God  thus  cares  for  each 
blade  of  grass,  and  each  flower  of  the  field,  much  more 
will  He  care  for  those  whom  He  hath  created  in  His  own 
image,  redeemed  by  His  own  Son,  and  renewed  and 
sanctified  by  His  own  Spirit.  How  sweetly  does  our 
Saviour  deduce  for  us  this  comforting  lesson — "  Con- 
sider the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they  grow ;  they  toil 
not,  neither  do  they  spin ;  and  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that 
even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one 
of  these.  Wherefore,  if  God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the 
field,  which  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the 
oven,  shall  he  not  much  more  clothe  you,  0  ye  of  little 
faith?"  How  simple  the  argument,  how  convincing 
the  inference. 

Vegetation  has  its  admonitions  as  well  as  comfortable 
assurances.  The  zizania,  translated  "tares"  in  our 
Lord's  parable,  was  a  species  of  bastard  wheat,  that,  in 
the  first  stages  of  its  growth,  bore  a  very  close  resem- 
blance  to  genuine  wheat;    hence    the  servants  never 


230  THE   THIRD  DAY. 

discovered,  or  even  suspected  its  existence,  until  the  ear 
was  formed  and  the  fruit  brought  forth.  Up  to  that 
point  both  had  passed  for  wheat.  So  often  among  men : 
outwardly  there  may  appear  little  or  no  difference  be- 
tween the  righteous  and  the  wicked ;  side  by  side  they 
may  move  in  the  world  and  stand  in  the  church,  and 
all  things  may  seem  to  come  to  both  alike.  But  be- 
tween the  two,  as  with  the  tares  and  wheat,  there  is 
an  essential  and  germinal  difference,  which  the  eye  of 
Omniscience,  at  the  harvest  time  of  souls,  will  not  fail 
to  detect. 

In  the  wheat-field  is  to  be  found,  sometimes,  another 
instructive  phenomenon.  I  refer  to  a  species  of  blasting, 
which  farmers  term  hunt,  but  botanists  ustilago  foetlda, 
on  account  of  the  putrid  and  intolerable  odor  it  exhales. 
This  evil  confines  its  ravages  to  the  grain.  Exter- 
nally, the  infected  ear  exhibits  no  sign  of  disease,  no 
rusty  appearance  or  stunted  growth ;  on  the  contrary, 
it  seems  full  as  plump  and  green  as  the  sound  ears. 
Stealthily  and  secretly  is  the  process  of  corruption 
accomplished ;  and  not  till  the  harvest  is  reaped,  and 
the  wheat  is  brought  to  the  threshing-floor,  is  the  dis- 
covery made,  by  the  odor  and  color,  that  the  produce  is 
unfit  for  the  master's  use.  Under  this  mask  of  health 
and  soundness  there  is  found  nothing  but  black  and 
foetid  powder,  nauseous  and  offensive.  And  such  is  the 
latent  infection  of  sin.  Men  may  appear  fair  and 
sound  on  the  field  of  life — may  pass  through  the  world 
in  robes  of  unspotted  reputation,  and  even  be  adorned 


THE    THIRD    DAY.  231 

with  the  verdant  blades  of  envied  fame — but  whose 
hearts,  when  laid  open  in  the  presence  of  God,  will  be 
found,  like  the  fcetid  wheat,  wholly  corrupt,  offensive  in 
his  sight,  and  a  stench  in  his  nostrils. 

But  we  need  not  seek  for  rare  or  out-of-the-way  produc- 
tions to  gather  lessons — every  green  thing  that  springs 
out  of  the  ground  is  a  preacher  to  us,  if  we  would  but 
listen  to  its  voice.  All  the  leaves  of  the  forest  join  in 
one  general  murmur  to  repeat  in  our  ears  the  prophet's 
warning,  "  We  all  do  fade  as  a  leaf"  And  as  we  are  so 
prone  to  thrust  this  truth  out  of  mind,  as  comes  on  every 
fading  Fall  of  the  year,  God  spreads  before  us  on  plain 
and  hillside  a  great  parable,  in  which  our  own  decay 
and  death  are  pictorially  represented  in  such  a  vivid  and 
impressive  manner,  that  he  who  runs  may  read,  and  he 
who  reads  must  reflect  and  profit. 

"Like  leaves  on  trees  the  race  of  man  is  found, 
Now  green  in  youth,  now  withered  on  the  ground  ; 
Another  race  the  following  age  supplies  ; 
They  fall  successive,  and  successive  rise  ; 
So  generations  in  their  course  decay  ; 
So  flourish  these  when  those  have  passed  away." 

With  the  leaves  join  the  beauteous  flowers,  like 
whispering  angels,  to  impress  the  same  needful  admo- 
nition upon  the  heart  and  mind  of  man.  "As  a  flower 
of  the  field,  so  he  flourisheth."  And  each  flower  along 
his  path  seems  to  look  up  and  address  him  in  language 
of  its  own,  and  say — 


232  THE    TUIRD  DAY. 

"  Child  of  the  dust,  like  me  you  spring, 
A  bright  but  evanescent  thing  ; 
Like  me  may  be  cut  down  to-day, 
And  cast  a  worthless  weed  away." 

The  grass  also  has  its  speech.  It  spreads  itself 
before  us  like  a  living  allegory,  in  which  we  may  see 
our  image  and  our  end.  It  says,  "All  flesh  is  grass;  in 
the  morning  it  flourisheth  and  groweth  up;  in  the 
evening  it  is  cut  down  and  withered."  And  when  its 
beauties  and  benefits,  and  teachings  all  can  avail  man  no 
more,  the  green  grass  reverently  spreads  itself  as  a  robe 
over  his  slumbering  form,  and  forsakes  not  even  that 
upon  which  all  others  have  turned  their  back — His 
grave — remaining  there,  in  each  bright  blade,  a  per- 
petual TYPE  of  a  coming  glorious  resurrection  ! 


®he  (fourth  gag* 


The  Sun,  and  the  Moon,  and  the  Stars  are  revealed. 


THE   FOURTH    DAY. 

Genesis  1/  14-19.— And  God  said,  Let  there  be  lights  in  the  firmament  of 
the  heaven,  to  divide  tlie  day  from  the  night  ;  and  let  them  be  for  signs, 
and  for  seasons,  and  for  days,  and  years.  And  let  them  be  for  lights  in 
the  firmament  of  the  heaven,  to  give  light  upon  the  earth  :  and  it  was 
so.  And  God  made  two  great  lights  ;  the  greater  light  to  rule  the  day, 
and  the  lesser  light  to  rule  the  night ;  He  made  the  stars  also.  And 
God  set  them  in  the  firmament  of  the  heaven,  to  give  light  upon  the 
earth,  and  to  rule  over  the  day,  and  over  the  night,  and  to  divide  the 
light  from  the  darkness :  and  God  saw  that  it  was  good.  And  the 
evening  and  the  morning  were  the  fourth  day. 

HE  great  works  of  this  day,  like  those  of  the 
^)^j^  preceding  days,  are  described,  not  scientifically, 
but  as  they  would  have  appeared  to  an  observer 
had  one  been  present.  The  narrative  of  the 
sacred  historian  is  scenic,  or  an  account  of  things  a 
they  would  have  appeared  to  a  human  spectator. 

And  God  made  two  great  lights.  In  the  Hebrew 
Bible,  the  word  here  translated  "made,"  is  not  the 
same  as  that  rendered  "created."  It  is  a  term  fre- 
quently used  in  Scripture,  and  signifies  constituted,  or 
appointed.  Thus  we  read,  "  The  Lord  made  the  Jordan 
a  border  between  the  tribes ;"  that  is,  appointed  the 
Jordan  a  boundary  line  between  them.  So  here,  God 
made  tioo  great  lights  to  give  light  upon  the  earth;  that 
is,  appointed  these  two  great  lights  to  give  light  upon  the 

235 


236  THE    FOURTH   DAY. 

earth.  It  is  not  said  that  they  were  now  created,  but 
that  now,  having  been  revealed  in  their  brightness  for 
the  first  time  after  the  chaotic  darkness,  they  were  con- 
stituted and  appointed  to  be  henceforth  the  lights  of 
the  world.  These  great  luminaries  were  created,  doubt- 
less, long  ages  before.  They  had  given  light  to  the 
earth  through  the  vast  pre- Adamite  periods  of  its  his- 
tory, and  from  the  sun  proceeded  what  degree  of  light 
prevailed  upon  its  watery  surface  on  the  first,  second 
and  third  days  of  this  new  creation.  But  up  to  this 
time  the  globe  was  encompassed  by  a  sea  of  thick 
clouds,  floating  in  the  upper  regions  of  the  firmament ; 
so  that  the  orbs  of  the  sun  and  moon  were  altogether 
invisible,  and  only  a  portion  of  their  rays  struggled 
through,  to  create  the  feeble  daylight.  What  was  on 
this  day  done  was  the  removing  of  this  cloudy  pall,  the 
clearing  of  the  firmament  into  a  pure  azure  sky,  so  as 
to  disclose  the  moon  in  her  brightness,  and  the  sun  in 
his  unobscured  glory.  And  these  luminaries,  thus 
suddenly  and  for  the  first  time  breaking  into  full 
view,  would  appear  to  a  sj)ectator  upon  the  earth  as  new 
creatioiis  ;  and  as  such  they  are  here  described.  They 
are  said  to  be  now  "  made,"  that  is,  appointed  to  give 
light  upon  the  earth. 

That  the  sun  was  not  created,  or  called  into  existence 
on  this  day,  will  be  obvious  on  a  moment's  reflection. 
If  we  adopt  what  is  called  the  Nebular  Theory  of  the 
origin  of  the  universe,  then  to  suppose  that  the  earth 
was  created  before  the  sun,  is  as  absurd  as  to  hold  that 


THE   FOURTH  DAY.  237 

the  offspring  was  born  before  its  parent;  for  on  that 
hypothesis  the  material  of  the  earth  was  thrown  off 
from  the  revolving  mass  of  the  sun.  But  setting  that 
theory  altogether  aside,  this  fact  remains  unquestioned 
— that  our  earth  is  a  member  of  the  solar  system,  a 
globe,  dependent,  in  common  with  the  other  planets,  on 
the  sun,  held  in  its  place  and  governed  in  its  motion  by 
the  powerful  attraction  of  the  sun ;  and,  therefore,  could 
no  more  have  existed  before  the  sun  than  the  eyeballs 
before  the  head,  or  the  branches  of  a  tree  before  its 
roots.  Hence,  for  this,  together  with  the  other  reasons 
already  stated,  we  say,  that  the  work  of  the  fourth  day 
was  not  the  absolute  creation  of  the  sun  and  moon,  but 
the  revealinc;  of  them  in  their  bri<ihtness  after  their 
previous  obscuration. 

Two  great  lights.  The  moon  is  called  a  g7rat  light, 
from  its  being  apparently  equal,  or  nearly  equal  in  size 
to  the  sun ;  or,  perhaps,  from  the  fact  that  it  seems 
much  larger  than  the  stars.  But  here,  again,  things 
are  described  as  they  would  appear  to  a  spectator,  and 
not  as  they  were  in  reality ;  for  the  moon  is  among  the 
very  smallest  of  the  heavenly  bodies ;  and,  as  compared 
with  the  sun  or  fixed  stars,  is  but  as  a  grain  of  mustard 
seed  to  a  twenty-four  inch  globe. 

The  greater  light  to  rule  the  day^  and  the  lesser  light 
to  ride  the  night ;  that  is,  each  was  to  shed  its  light  in 
its  a2:)pointed  season,  for  the  benefit  of  the  new-made 
world. 

And  let  them  he  for  signs,  and  for  seasons,  and  for 


238  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

days,  and  years.  These  great  luminaries  by  their 
ever-recurring  revolutions,  oscillations,  and  eclipses, 
would  be  signs  to  all  living  of  the  supporting  and  guid- 
ing power  of  God,  signs  to  the  mariner  of  his  course  on 
the  trackless  deep,  signs  to  the  husbandman  for  sowing 
his  seed  and  gathering  his  harvests,  signs  to  the 
traveller  in  tracing  his  path  through  the  gloom  of  the 
forest,  or  over  the  wilds  of  the  desert.  And  for  seasons 
— by  their  steady  progress  in  their  appointed  orbits 
they  would  bring  on  spring,  summer,  autumn '  and 
winter  in  their  due  rotation.  And  for  days — by  their 
established  revolutions  they  would  measure  out  the 
alternations  of  day  and  night.  And  for  years — this 
grand  division  of  time  by  which  all  succession  of  dura- 
tion is  distinguished,  they  would  also  continue  to 
describe  and  determine  without  cessation  or  mistake. 

The  arrangement  which  thus  measures  out  time  by 
days,  and  months,  and  seasons,  and  years,  is  one  of 
supreme  wisdom  and  beneficence ;  for  these  revolutions 
are  the  means  by  which  we  gain  our  knowledge  of  the 
flight  of  time.  Our  artificial  time-keepers  owe  their 
conception  to  the  apparent  motion  of  the  sun;  our 
clocks  and  watches  are  but  transcripts  or  miniature 
imitations  of  the  celestial  revolutions.  And  ingeni- 
ously contrived  and  admirably  made  as  they  sometimes 
are,  being  like  every  other  production  of  man  imper- 
fect, they  would  soon  be  of  little  value  if  we  could  not 
regulate  them  by  the  same  undeviating  motions  of  the 
heavens.     But  for  the  celestial  revolutions  we  should 


THE    FOURTH  DAY.  239 

have  but  a  confused  and  imperfect  idea  of  the  lapse  of 
time.  If  God  had  chosen  to  create  our  planet  a  tvorld 
at  rest,  and  illumined  by  a  sun  fixed  and  immovable  in 
mid-heaven,  the  earth  would  have  been  a  world  with- 
out times  or  seasons.  Spring,  summer,  autumn  and 
winter  would  be  unknown ;  the  alternation  of  day  and 
night  would  have  no  existence ;  and  the  lapse  of  time 
we  now  call  a  year,  would  glide  away  without  giving 
us  the  least  intimation  of  its  beginning,  or  progress,  or 
cloSe.  In  fact,  we  should  have  no  distinction  or 
measure  of  time  whatever,  except  in  the  succession  of 
our  irregular  thoughts,  or  ever-fluctuating  experiences. 
In  pain  or  sorrow  the  space  of  a  day  would  seem  as 
long  as  a  week ;  and  a  week,  exhilarated  with  joy  or 
pleasure,  would  glide  away  as  one  day.  In  childhood 
the  space  of  a  month  would  appear  as  long  as  a  year  in 
manhood.  So  that  no  man  could  tell  his  age,  or  say 
at  what  period  of  life  he  had  arrived.  He  would  have 
no  better  idea  of  the  flow  of  time,  or  of  life,  than  a 
passenger  below  deck  would  have  of  the  speed  with 
which  he  sailed.  Time,  indeed,  would  pass  away  as 
swiftly  and  as  uniformly  as  at  present,  but  the  universe 
would  be  without  a  dial  plate  to  mark  its  progress,  or 
to  give  man  warning  of  his  hasty  passage  to  eternity. 
Compared  with  such  a  condition  of  things  how  admira- 
ble the  present  arrangement;  now  the  rising  and 
setting  sun,  the  changing  moon,  and  the  revolving 
stars,  by  their  uniform  and  perpetual  revolutions,  con- 
tinually apprise  man  of  the  swift  flow  of  his  appointed 


240  THE    FOURTH   DAY. 

time  on  the  earth.  These  changes  of  days  and  years 
are  to  him  the  minute  and  hour  hands  of  nature's 
clock-works ;  and  each  as  it  completes  its  round  tolls  in 
the  High  Belfry  of  the  heavens  its  own  death  and 
departure,  thus  giving  him  warning  that  his  own  is 
daily  approaching. 

The  creations  brought  before  us  for  illustration  in 
this  day's  history  are  the  heavenly  bodies — the  sun, 
and  moon,  and  stars — a  field  glorious  as  it  is  boundless. 


THE  SUN. 
And  God  made  the  Greater  Light  to  rule  the  day. 

The  true  character  of  the  sun  was  learned  by  slow 
and  laborious  steps.  Through  a  long  series  of  ages, 
indeed  until  comparatively  recent  times,  the  common 
idea  was  that  the  earth  was  the  centre  of  the  universe, 
and  that  the  sun,  and  moon,  and  stars,  revolved  around 
it.  And  most  ingenious  was  the  logic  and  complicated 
the  theories  put  forth  to  account  for  their  apparent 
motions  on  this  supposition.  To  this  task  many  of  the 
ablest  minds,  whose  names  adorn  the  pages  of  history, 
devoted  themselves  with  unwearied  perseverance. 
Not  less  than  twenty-six  solid  but  transparent  spheres 
were  conceived  to  revolve  within  one  another,  carrying 
along  with  them  the  sun,  the  moon,  the  planets,  and 
the  fixed  stars,  at  different  velocities.  This  conception 
was  carried  to  the  meridian  of  its  glory  in  the  first 


H 

CO 

CO 

o 

a 

a; 


CO 

►J 


242  THE   FOURTH  DAY. 

century  of  the  Christian  era,  by  Ptolemy,  a  great 
mathematician  of  Alexandria,  and  after  him  was  named 
the  Ptolemaic  System.  This  was  the  generally 
accepted  theory  for  many  centuries  after  the  death  of 
Ptolemy.  At  length  the  true  idea  that  the  sun  was 
the  real  and  immovable  centre  dawned  upon  the  mind 
of  Copernicus,  whose  views  were  embraced  and  ad- 
vanced by  Galileo,  Kepler,  and  others,  and  were 
finally  perfected  and  established  by  the  splendid  dis- 
coveries of  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  Avho,  in  the  year  1687, 
presented  the  world  with  a  convincing  demonstration, 
that  not  only  our  globe,  but  also  a  vast  and  magnificent 
system  of  others,  revolved  at  different  distances  and 
with  different  velocities  around  the  sun  as  their  fixed 
and  common  centre. 

The  position  and  relation  of  the  sun  being  now 
established,  his  distance  from  us  next  became  a  subject 
of  intense  study.  And  it  was  soon  found  to  be  re- 
moved from  the  earth  no  less  than  95,000,000 
miles.  Recent  calculations,  however,  make  his 
mean  distance  to  be  92,000,000  miles.  Now  this 
is  a  space  so  vast  as  to  be  altogether  beyond  the 
power  of  the  mind  to  grasp,  except  as  it  is  com- 
pared with  some  more  familiar  measurements.  He 
who  has  travelled  round  the  earth  is  regarded  as 
having  accomplished  a  journey  of  prodigious  length  ; 
but  to  pass  over  a  distance  equal  to  that  of  the  earth 
from  the  sun,  he  would  have  to  repeat  that  journey 
3800    times.      Or,    take    another    comparison.        If    a 


THE   FOURTH  DA  Y.  243 

man  on  the  day  Columbus  clif^covered  America 
had  started,  we  will  suppose,  by  some  aerial  convey- 
ance for  the  sun,  and  travelled  at  the  daily  rate 
of  500  miles,  he  would  not  have  completed  his 
journey  at  this  day,  but  would  have  to  continue  his 
progress  for  120  years  yet  to  come,  before  he  would 
alight  on  that  resplendent  globe. 

The  next  point  to  be  determined  was  the  size  of  the 
sun.  This,  also,  was  found  to  be  on  an  equally  enor- 
mous scale,  his  diameter  being  882,000  miles,  or  more 
than  111  times  that  of  the  earth,  and  his  circumference 
2,764,000  miles.  But  these  are  dimensions  too  great 
for  us  to  form  any  clear  or  definite  idea  of  them.  Let 
us  again  resort  to  comparison.  The  globe  we  inhabit  is 
an  immense  ball,  filling  a  circle,  nearly  8,000  miles  in 
diameter ;  around  us  sweeps  the  moon,  describing  a  far 
mightier  circle,  at  the  distance  of  240,000  miles  ;  now 
let  us  suppose  the  earth  to  be  enlarged  until  it  com- 
pletely fills  this  circle  of  the  moon,  and  what  a  stupen- 
dous globe  it  would  then  be.  Yet  to  be  equal  to  the 
sun  it  would  have  to  swell  out  on  every  side  200,000 
miles  even  beyond  this  orl^it !  Or,  to  change  the  sup- 
position— "  Were  the  sun  a  hollow  sphere,  perforated  b}' 
a  thousand  openings  to  admit  the  twinkling  of  a  luminous 
atmosphere  without,  then  a  globe  as  large  as  the  earth 
might  be  placed  at  the  centre,  with  a  satellite  as  large 
as  the  moon,  and  at  the  same  distance  from  it  as  she  is 
from  the  earth  ;  and  there  would  be  presented  to  the 
eye  of  a  spectator  on  the  interior  globe,  a  universe  as 


244  THE    FOURTH  DAY. 

extensive  as  the  whole  creation  was  conceived  to  be  in 
the  infancy  of  astronomy,  and  as  splendid  as  the 
heavens  appear  at  present  to  the  uninstructed  gazer  !" 
The  materials  composing  the  body  of  the  sun,  if  divided 
and  moulded,  would  form  no  less  than  1,384,000  globes 
equal  in  size  to  the  earth.  And  its  mass  is  more  than 
500  times  greater  than  that  of  all  the  planets  and 
satellites  put  together.  Such  is  the  magnitude  of  the 
greater  light.     See  Fig.,  page  241. 

Our  knowledge  of  the  constitution,  or  real  nature  of 
the  sun,  is  still  quite  limited  and  defective.  He  is  now 
generally  considered  to  be  an  incandescent  body,  encom- 
passed by  two  atmospheres,  the  inner  of  which  is  be- 
lieved to  be  non-luminous,  while  the  outer  one  floats 
over  it,  and  is  highly  luminous,  and  forms  the  bright 
disk  of  the  sun.  This  luminous  atmosphere  seems  to 
be  all  ablaze,  and  in  constant  agitation,  as  if  with 
mountain  waves  of  living  fire.  Recent  experiments 
made  with  the  Prismatic  Spectrum  have  revealed  the 
striking  fact,  that  several  of  the  metals  found  in  the 
globe  we  inhabit,  enter  also  into  the  composition  of  the 
sun ;  among  these  are  iron,  magnesium,  sodium,  chro- 
mium and  nickel.  This  stupendous  and  flaming  orb, 
like  all  the  planets  which  it  lights  up,  rotates  upon  its 
axis,  its  period  being  25  ds.,  7  hrs.,  48  min. 

When  viewed  by  the  unaided  eye,  the  sun  presents  a 
clear  surface,  without  spot  or  wrinkle  ;  but  if  we  look 
upon  it  through  a  telescope,  we  shall  discover  on  its 
disk  a  variety  of  phenomena.    The  most  notable  of  tliese 


SPOTS  AND  FACUL.E  OF  THE  SUN. 


THE  FOURTH  DA  Y.  245 

are  certain  black  spots  that  prevail  in  its  middle  or  equa- 
torial zone.  At  times  its  disk  is  almost,  if  not  altogether, 
clear  of  them ;  then,  again,  fifty  or  one  hundred  may  be 
seen  at  once.  When  watched  closel}^  from  day  to  day, 
or  from  hour  to  hour,  they  appear  to  enhirge  or  con- 
tract, to  change  their  forms,  and  at  length  to  disappear 
altogether,  or  to  break  out  anew  in  parts  of  the  surface 
where  none  were  before.  Many  of  them  are  of  immense 
extent,  being  five,  ten,  or  twenty  thousand  miles  in  di- 
ameter. Spots  of  2,000  miles  extent  have  been  observed 
to  vanish  in  twenty-four  hours ;  and  one  measuring 
45,000  miles  across  has  been  seen  to  close  up  in  six 
weeks,  thus  contracting  its  area  at  the  rate  of  more 
than  35,000,000  square  miles  per  day.  On  the  other 
hand,  spots  larger  than  the  circumference  of  the  eai'th 
have  been  formed  in  forty-eight  hours,  where  not  a  trace 
of  one  was  visible  before.  It  has  been  ascertained  that 
the  prevalence  of  these  extraordinary  spots  is  periodical ; 
that  is,  from  minimum  to  minimum,  or  from  the  time 
of  the  least  number  of  them  to  the  time  of  the  least 
number  is  111  years,  being  exactly  nine  periods  to  a 
century.  As  to  their  nature,  it  is  supposed  that  they 
are  openings  or  ruptures  in  the  strata  of  the  solar 
atmosphere,  produced  by  some  prodigious  agitations 
or  storms  therein ;  and  that  the  dark  nucleus  is  the 
shaded  body  of  the  sun  itself,  as  seen  through  the 
aperture. 

In  the  neighborhood  of  the  above  described  spots, 
large  spaces  of  the  surface  are  often  observed  to  be 


246  THE   FOURTH  DAY. 

covered  with  strongly  marked  curved  or  branching 
streaks,  more  luminous  than  the  rest,  called  faculce. 
These  are  regarded  with  probability  as  the  ridges  of 
immense  waves  in  the  luminous  atmosphere,  and  indi- 
cate violent  agitation  in  their  vicinity.  In  1859,  two 
intensely  luminous  bodies,  resembling  vast  clouds,  far 
more  brilliant  than  the  general  surface  of  the  sun,  sud- 
denly burst  into  view,  and  after  travelling,  side  by  side, 
a  distance  of  35,000  miles,  disappeared  almost  instan- 
taneously. They  were  seen  only  for  about  five 
minutes. 

During  total  eclipses  of  the  sun,  another  wonderful 
phenomenon  has  repeatedly  been  observed,  in  the  form 
of  enormous  flames,  shooting  upward  above  the  solar 
surface  to  the  appalling  height  of  thirty  or  forty 
thousand  miles ;  these  are  sometimes  rose-colored, 
sometimes  white,  and  sometimes  red ;  and  they  are 
supposed  to  prove  the  existence  of  a  rarified  atmos- 
phere outside  and  above  the  luminous  envelope  or 
photosphere. 

The  sun  is  the  centre  oi  gravitation  in  the  planetary 
system.  Gravitation  is  a  power  or  property  with  which 
all  matter  is  endued.  It  acts  according  to  the  same 
laws  between  the  most  minute  particles,  and  the  most 
stupendous  bodies.  Always  and  everyAvhere  its  force 
is  in  proportion  to  the  mass,  but  diminishes  inversely 
as  the  square  of  the  distance  between  attracting  bodies 
increases.  It  is  transmitted  instantaneously  from  one 
body  to  another,  and  it  acts  equally  upon  bodies  in  a 


THE   FOURTH  DAY.  247 

state  of  rest,  and  upon  those  that  are  in  swiftest  motion. 
It  is  gravitation  that  holds  together  the  particles  that 
compose  a  dew-drop  or  a  pebble,  and  it  is  the  same 
mysterious  power  that  binds  the  materials  of  the  earth 
in  one  solid  globe.  It  is  gravitation  that  brings  down 
the  rain  from  the  clouds  and  the  avalanche  from  the 
Alpine  summit.  What  we  familiarly  call  wel(/ht  is  the 
measure  of  gravitation.  A  man's  weight  is  the  amount 
of  force  with  which  the  earth  attracts  him  to  its  sur- 
face. But  for  gravitation  our  dwellings  and  ourselves 
would  be  flung  from  the  earth's  circumference  never  to 
return  by  its  rapid  rotation  on  its  axis,  like  the  mud 
and  water  from  a  carriage  wheel  in  rapid  motion. 
And  it  is  by  this  all-pervading  power,  emanating  from 
the  sun,  that  the  earth  and  the  other  planets  are  held 
in  their  respective  orbits,  while  moving  with  incon- 
ceivable velocities. 

The  revolutions  of  the  planets  are  effected  and 
governed  by  two  antagonistic  forces — gravitation  and 
centrifugal  impulse;  the  operation  of  these  may  be 
made  plain  by  a  familiar  illustration.  If  a  leaden  ball 
be  whirled  round  at  the  end  of  a  string,  it  will  stretch 
the  string  by  its  centrifugal  force,  or  tendency  to  fly 
from  the  centre;  that  force  will  be  increased  as  the 
speed  of  rotation  is  increased ;  and  the  velocity  may  be 
so  accelerated  as  to  overcome  the  strength  of  the  string 
and  break  it.  The  instant  that  takes  place  the  ball 
forsakes  its  circular  course,  and  flies  off  in  a  tangent, 
or  straight  line.     But  let  us  suppose  the  velocit\-  to  be 


248  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

increased  onl}-  just  up  to  the  limit  of  the  string's 
capacity ;  then  the  centrifugal  force  and  the  strength 
of  the  string  are  equal,  or  evenly  balanced,  and  the 
ball  goes  round  and  round.  Now  this  is  precisely  the 
condition  of  the  earth  and  the  j^lanets  as  they  move  in 
their  orbits.  Were  the  progressive  motion  of  the  earth 
suddenly  to  cease  at  aliy  point  of  its  orbit,  that  moment, 
under  the  force  of  the  sun's  gravitation,  it  would  begin 
to  descend  towards  him,  and  in  sixty-four  and  a  half 
days  would  fall  with  a  crash  upon  his  surface.  On  the 
other  hand,  were  gravitation  to  cease,  that  instant  our 
globe  would  forsake  her  circular  path,  and  like  the  ball 
rush  forward  in  a  straight  course  into  the  depths  of 
space.  The  gravitation  of  the  sun  performs  the  office 
of  the  string,  drawing  it  inward  at  every  instant  of  its 
progress,  and  thus  compelling  it  to  pursue  a  circular 
course.  And  the  attractive  force  thus  exerted  upon  it 
is  exacth^  equal  to  the  centrifugal  force  at  every  point 
of  its  orbit.  And  calculation  proves  this  attractive 
force  to  be  enormous.  Were  gravitation  suspended, 
and  our  globe,  moving  as  it  does,  at  the  rate  of  68,000 
miles  an  hour,  to  be  retained  in  its  orbit  by  a  cable 
attached  to  the  pole  of  the  sun,  we  will  say,  that  cable 
would  have  to  be  of  a  strength  sufficient  to  suspend  a 
weight  equal  to  1,356,968,450,000,000,000  tons— a 
weight  and  strength  transcending  all  human  com- 
prehension !  Such  is  the  tremendous  power  exerted 
by  the  sun  upon  our  globe,  without  any  visible  connec- 
tion, and  at  the  distance  of  95,000,000  of  miles.     Nor 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  240 

does  his  power  end  here;  Jupiter,  Saturn,  and  Uranus, 
vastly  Ijirger  spheres,  and  revolving  at  distances  irri- 
monsely  greater,  are  bound  and  guided  -with  equal 
iirnmess  by  this  mysterious  influence.  And  even 
Neptune,  rolling  onward  its  lonely  way  in  the  far  and 
dim  immensity  of  our  system,  at  the  distance  of 
2,802,000,000  of  miles,  is  ruled  by  it  in  its  appointed 
path,  as  regularly  and  certainly  as  Mercury  that  revolves 
fcM'ever  within  his  blaze. 

The  sun  is  the  only  self-luminous  orb  in  the  whole 
system  to  which  it  belongs — He  is  the  light  thereof. 
The  planets  and  satellites  all  shine  by  light  borrowed 
from  him ;  our  own  moon  owes  her  silvery  lustre  to  his 
radiations.  The  sun  pours  off  light  from  his  surface 
continuall}'  in  all  directions  far  into  the  depths  of  space; 
and  its  intensity,  like  that  of  gravitation,  diminishes 
inversely  as  the  squares  of  distances. 

Two  different  theories  have  been  proposed  to  explain 
the  production  of  light.  NeAvton,  Laplace,  and  others, 
suppose  light  to  consist  of  luminous  particles  darted 
from  the  surface  of  the  sun  in  all  directions ;  that  these 
infinitely  minute  particles  are  influenced  by  the  repel- 
ling and  attracting  forces  of  matter,  and  thus  turned 
back  or  reflected  from  their  surfaces  in  some  cases,  and 
absorbed  into  their  interstitial  spaces  in  others.  But 
this  theory  has  fallen  rather  into  the  back-ground,  and 
another  called  the  Undulatory  Theory  has  been  intro- 
duced, as  accounting  lor  certain  phenomena  more  satis- 
factorily  than   the   former.      According  to  this,   light 


250  'i^^J^  FOURTH  DAY. 

consists  in  the  waves  or  vibrations  excited  by  the  sun, 
or  other  luminous  bodies,  in  a  medium  called  the 
Luminiferous  Ether,  which  is  supposed  to  fill  all  trans- 
parent bodies,  and  to  extend  to  the  remotest  distances 
in  space.  Thus,  according  to  one  hypothesis,  luminous 
particles  are  supposed  actually  to  come  from  the  sun  to 
the  earth ;  and  according  to  the  other,  the  sun  only 
occasions  a  disturbance  or  waves  in  the  ether,  which 
extend  with  great  rapidity.  Whichever  of  these  theo- 
ries we  adopt,  inferences  equally  marvellous  follow. 
Accordnig  to  the  first,  how  wonderful,  almost  incredible, 
that  innumerable  myriads  of  material  particles  are 
launched  through  space  from  the  sun,  and  from  all 
luminous  and  reflecting  bodies  upon  the  earth,  in  all 
possible  directions,  yet  without  interference  or  produc- 
ing the  least  confusion  of  vision.  And  according  to 
the  second,  equally  wonderful  is  it,  that  waves  or 
undulations  of  the  elastic  ether  are  circling  in  all  direc- 
tions from  ten  thousand  centres  without  being  defaced 
or  obliterated.  Waves  generated  by  fifty  or  a  hundred 
pebbles  scattered  at  one  and  the  same  time  upon  the 
bosom  of  the  lake,  would  mutually  oppose,  cross,  and 
break  up  one  another  into  a  mere  confusion  of  ripples. 
And  even  vibrations  in  the  atmosphere,  produced  by 
sounds  or  voices  from  scores  of  sources  at  once,  become 
utterly  undistinguishable  to  the  acutest  ear.  Not  so 
with  the  medium  of  vision  ;  the  radiant  vehicles  of 
light  (whatever  they  be)  are  infallible  in  their  progress 
— they  ever  carry  and  imprint  the  messages  of  the  uni- 


THE    FOURTH    DAY.  251 

verse,  great  or  small,  with  unfailing  accuracy  and  dis- 
tinctness. 

Another  remarkable  fact  connected  with  light  is  the 
inconceivable  velocity  with  which  it  travels.  This  is 
no  hypothesis  merely,  but  a  matter  of  observation. 
This  has  been  ascertained  by  comparing  the  calculated 
and  actual  time  of  the  eclipses  of  the  satellites  of 
Jupiter  with  the  time  at  which  they  appeal-  to  the  eye, 
when  the  earth  was  at  the  nearest  and  farthest  points 
of  its  orbit  from  that  planet.  At  the  farthest  point  it 
was  observed  that  they  uniformly  appeared  16'  26.6" 
later  than  at  the  nearest  point ;  hence  it  appeared  that 
light  must  have  occupied  this  length  of  time  in  travel- 
ling across  the  earth's  orbit,  or  190,000,000  of  miles. 
Hence  the  velocity  of  light  is  found  to  be  192,000  miles 
per  second. 

The  sun's  light  presents  us  with  another  marvellous 
class  of  facts  in  the  production  of  colors.  It  was  long- 
supposed  that  the  sun's  light  was  perfectly  white ;  but 
passing  a  pencil  of  sunlight  through  a  glass  prism,  it 
is  found  to  be  made  up  of  all  the  colors  in  the  rainbow 
— red,  orange,  yellow,  green,  blue,  indigo,  and  violet. 
According  to  Newton's  theory,  pure  light  is  a  mixture 
of  all  these  seven  in  certain  proportions.  If  the  red, 
for  instance,  is  removed,  then  the  mixture  of  all  the 
others  will  be  blue.  If  the  blue  is  taken  away,  the 
mixture  of  the  others  will  be  yellow ;  and  so  of  all  the 
rest.  Now  the  colors  of  (dl  natural  bodies,  he  tells  us, 
"  have  no  other  origin  than  this,  that  they  are  variously 


252  THE    FOURTH   DAY. 

qualified  to  reflect  one  sort  of  light  in  greater  plent}' 
than  others."  Accordingly  when  the  sun's  white  light 
falls  upon  the  scarlet  geranium,  it  absorbs  the  other  six 
colors,  and  reflects  to  the  eye  only  the  red  rays.  When 
the  light  falls  upon  the  blue  flower,  it  throws  back 
upon  the  vision  the  blue  rays  only,  while  it  absorbs  all 
the  rest.  When  the  sunbeams  fall  upon  the  petals  of 
the  pure  white  lily,  they  reflect  all  the  rays.  And 
when  the  light  falls  upon  a  black  object,  it  absorbs  all 
the  rays,  reflecting  none  of  them. 

The  Undulatory  Theory  accounts  for  the  various 
colors  in  a  diflerent  way.  This  supposes  the  sur- 
iUces  of  objects  to  possess  properties  that  impart  different 
vibrations  to  the  luminous  ether.  If  a  body  sends  back 
white  light,  unchanged  in  its  vibrations,  it  appears 
Avhite.  If  the  surface  has  the  property  of  altering  the 
vibrations  to  that  which  is  calculated  to  produce  red- 
ness, the  result  is  a  red  color ;  and  so  of  all  the  others  ; 
while  the  annihilation  of  the  undulations  produces 
blackness.  According  to  this  theory,  the  rate  and  the 
length  of  the  undulation  determine  the  color,  a  different 
sensation  being  thereby  produced  upon  the  optic  nerve. 
The  analytical  examination  of  this  subject  shows,  that 
to  j)roduce  red  color,  the  ray  of  light  must  give  37,640 
undulations  in  an  inch,  and  458.000,000,000,000  in  a 
second.  YeUow  requires  44,000  in  an  inch,  and 
5555.000,000,000,000  in  a  second.  Blue  requires 
51,110  in  an  inch,  and  622,000,000,000,000  in  a 
second.     "  Such  results  are  among  the  highest  refine- 


THE    FOUinU    DAY.  203 

ments  of  science,  and  when  contrasted  with  the  most 
sublime  eflbrts  of  the  imagination  appear  immeasurably 
superior  to  them." 

A  sunbeam  is  a  mysterious  creation ;  science  has 
proved  that  no  substance  can  be  exposed  to  it  without 
undergoing'  a  change.  In  it  have  been  discovered,  be- 
side the  properties  that  impart  light  and  color,  certain 
dark  rays,  by  whose  magic,  though  invisible  pencil,  can 
be  delineated  in  a  moment  every  scene  of  earth,  and 
every  form  of  life.  This  great  secret,  after  long  study 
and  many  experiments,  having  been  wrested  from  the 
Lord  of  Day,  the  lover  of  nature  may  now,  by  this  helio- 
graphic  art,  record  her  arrangements,  copy  her  beauties, 
and  delineate  her  most  delicate  features.  By  the 
agency  of  the  very  rays  that  give  life  and  brilliancy  to 
the  laughing  eye  and  blushing  cheek,  we  can  trace  the 
outlines  of  the  features  we  admire,  and  stamp  on  per- 
ennial leaves  the  hallowed  scenes  of  family  and  home ! 

To  the  light  of  the  sun  belong  many  other  interesting 
properties,  such  as  those  connected  with  its  polarization, 
refraction  and  radiation  ;  with  animal  and  vegetable 
life;  with  heat  and  electricity;  with  magnetism  and 
various  other  agencies  of  nature ;  of  these  our  limits 
forbid  us  to  speak  in  particular.  But  after  all  the  pro- 
tracted study,  and  endlessly  varied  experiments  of  the 
most  gifted  minds  upon  these  various  properties  and 
laws  of  light,  of  the  principle  itself  we  know  nothing. 
''  The  solar  beam  has  been  tortured  through  prismatic 
glasses  and  natural  crystals.      Every  chemical  agent 


254  THE   FOURTH  DAY. 

has  been  tried  upon  it,  every  electrical  force  in  the  most 
excited  state  brought  to  bear  upon  its  operations,  with 
a  view  to  the  discovery  of  the  most  refined  of  earthly 
agencies  ;  but  it  has  passed  through  every  trial  without 
revealing  its  secrets ;  and  even  the  effects  which  it  pro- 
duces in  its  path  are  unexplained  problems  still  to  tax 
the  intellect  of  man."* 

Though  ignorant  of  the  essential  nature  of  light,  we 
well  know  that  we  are  constantly  partakers  of  a  thou- 
sand benefits  that  flow  from  its  great  source.  The  rays 
of  the  sun  are  the  ultimate  cause  of  almost  every  motion 
which  takes  place  on  the  surface  of  the  earth.  By  its 
heat  are  produced  all  winds,  and  all  those  electrical  dis- 
turbances we  call  thunder-storms,  which  purify  the  atmos- 
phere we  breathe.  By  its  heat,  also,  the  waters  of  the 
ocean  ascend  in  vapors,  travel  through  the  air,  descend 
in  showers,  irrigate  the  land,  supply  the  springs,  and  form 
the  rivers.  By  its  vivifying  action  vegetables  are 
enabled  to  draw  their  support  from  the  soil  and  the 
air,  to  put  forth  their  blossoms,  to  ripen  their  fruits, 
and  to  become,  in  their  time,  the  support  of  man  and 
beast.  Through  its  illuminating  power  we  enjoy  the 
inestimable  advantages,  and  receive  all  the  undefinable 
pleasures  of  vision.  Every  animal,  every  plant,  owns 
that  life  and  health  are  due  to  its  light,  and  all  living 
things  rejoice  in  its  presence. 

*  Poetr3''  of  Science,  p.  124. 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  255 

REFLECTIONS. 

From  the  creation  true  philosophy,  as  well  as 
religion,  ever  leads  us  to  the  Creator ;  and  nowhere  is 
this  transition  of  our  thoughts  easier  or  more  natural 
than  from  the  contemplation  of  the  Greater  Light. 
The  vastness  of  his  dimensions,  the  splendor  of  his 
aspect,  the  rotation  of  his  majestic  circumference,  his 
potent  attraction,  the  mighty  forces  in  operation  \\\)0\\ 
his  surface,  his  awe-inspiring  flames,  and  the  mysterious 
but  beneficent  influences  of  his  light — all  present  phe- 
nomena that  at  once  amaze  and  overwhelm  the  mind  ! 
He  who  can,  with  any  degree  of  intelligence,  contem- 
plate this  glorious  orb  of  day,  and  daily  enjoy  its  be- 
nign and  life-giving  influences,  and  3'et  feel  no  sense  of 
gratitude,  no  feeling  of  devotion  awakened  within  his 
breast,  surely  can  of  right  claim  no  higher  place  in  the 
scale  of  animated  beings  than  that  of  those  •'  meaner 
things,"  that,  "  with  brute  unconscious  gaze,"  wander 
among  the  works  of  God.  Among  all  the  visible  ob- 
jects of  creation,  there  is  none  whose  nature  and  func- 
tions are  so  wonderful — none  whose  glories  are  so  much 
to  be  admired — none  whose  beneficent  influences  are  so 
wide-spread,  as  the  Sun  ;  none  wliere  the  eternal  Power 
and  Godhead  are  more  clearly  seen  ;  none  that  more 
impressively  call  us  to  render  unto  the  Lord  the  glory 
due  unto  his  name. 

In  the  Sun  we  have  the  most  worthy  emblem  that  the 
visible  universe  presents  of  II iM,  who.  with  the  word  of 


256  THE   FOURTH  DAY. 

his  power,  kindled  up  its  glories,  and  with  the  strength 
of  his  right  hand  established  it  in  the  heavens.  And 
the  analogies  between  the  Sun  of  nature  and  the  Sun 
OF  Righteousness  are  both  striking  and  instructive. 

In  the  opening  scene  of  the  fourth  day  Ave  have  a  fine 
image  of  the  advent  of  the  Redeemer  of  men.  On  that 
mornins;  the  sun  burst  forth  in  its  unveiled  jrlories,  irra- 
diating  the  new-made  earth,  and  revealing  upon  its  face 
scenes  of  loveliness  and  grandeur  which  could  neither 
be  seen  nor  known  before.  So  arose  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness upon  the  world  of  mankind,  an  object  as  won- 
derful and  as  new  in  his  person,  and  character,  and 
office,  as  the  great  orb  of  daj-  when  it  first  came  forth 
to  run  the  circuit  of  the  heavens — pouring  a  flood  of 
light  from  above  upon  benighted  humanity,  and  opening 
up  to  them  views  of  truth,  happiness  and  innnortality, 
such  as  the  world  had  never  known  or  heard  before  ; 
and,  like  the  solar  light,  while  revealing  all  else,  re- 
maining Himself  a  Glorious  Mystery. 

As  the  natural  Sun  is  the  centre  of  the  system  of 
creation,  so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  is  the  vital  centre 
of  revealed  truth  and  religion.  He  is  the  heavenly  orb 
that  illumines  and  animates  every  page  throughout  the 
whole  circle  of  Revelation  ;  and  to  Him  point  from  every 
quarter,  like  the  rosy  fingers  of  the  morning,  all  the 
types  and  prophecies,  all  the  doctrines  and  sacraments, 
as  to  their  radiating  focus.  He  is  the  light,  the  life, 
and  the  bond  of  union  that  constitute  them  into  one 
gracious  and  harmonious  whole. 


MOON'S  SURFACE. 


THE   FOURTH  DAY.  257 

As  the  sun  shines  by  his  own  light,  so  the  Son  of  God 
poured  the  light  of  truth  upon  men  from  the  fountain 
of  His  own  mind.  The  instructions  he  imparted  were 
neither  derived  from  tradition  nor  borrowed  from  philos- 
ophy. He  was  a  self-luminous  and  Divine  Orb,  risen 
upon  the  darkness  of  the  world,  shedding  new  light, 
and  revealing  new  truths  to  bewildered  humanity. 

As  in  the  pure  sunbeam  we  have  combined  all  the 
colors  of  the  rainbow  in  their  due  proportions,  so  in 
Christ  Ave  find  all  virtues  and  graces  harmoniously 
blended  in  one  perfect  character.  In  Him  we  behold 
every  principle,  every  afiection,  every  impulse,  in  per- 
fect equipoise. 

As  the  sunlight,  on  whatever  foulness  or  corruption 
it  may  fall,  remains  uncontaminated,  so  the  Son  of  man, 
amid  all  the  temptations,  guilt  and  depravity  of  earth, 
continued  pure  and  unspotted.  From  every  company  and 
from  every  scene  He  emerged  sinless  and  immaculate ; 
and  re-entered  the  portals  of  heaven  pure  as  when  He 
left  the  bosom  of  the  Father. 

As  the  light  of  the  sun  is  unlimited  and  inexhaustible, 
so  also  are  the  healing  Jind  saving  beams  of  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness.  As  a  thousand  eyes  turned  toward  the 
natural  sun,  at  the  same  instant,  are  as  fully  and  per- 
fectly enlightened  as  if  but  a  solitary  eye  beheld  it ;  so 
if  a  thousand,  or  a  thousand  millions  of  perishing  sin- 
ners look  to  the  Almighty  Saviour,  in  one  moment,  He 
is  infinitely  sufficient  to  hear  and  save  them  all.  His 
power  to  save 

17 


258  I^HE  FOURTH  DAY. 

"  Lives  through  all  life,  extends  through  all  extent, 
Spreads  undivided,  operates  unspent." 

As  the  sun's  law  of  grcavitation  extends  over  the 
whole  solar  system,  so  the  Law  of  love,  proceeding  from 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  extends  its  authority  over 
the  whole  family  of  man.  Gravitation  exercises  its 
dominion  alike  over  the  mightiest  planet  and  the 
minutest  asteroid ;  so  the  Divine  law  of  love,  with  equal 
hand,  imposes  its  obligations  upon  kings,  and  peasants 
and  beggars ;  its  authority  is  no  less  binding  in  courts 
and  cabinets  than  in  churches  and  families ;  its  voice  is 
to  be  heeded  no  less  by  the  diplomatist  sent  to  foreign 
realms,  than  by  the  preacher  who  remains  among  his 
flock  at  home.  To  all  it  speaks  alike,  in  the  name 
and  in  the  words  of  its  Divine  Original,  "  Love  one 
another,  as  I  have  loved  you." 


THE  MOON. 

And  God  made  the  Lesser  Light  to  rule  the  night. 

The  moon  is  our  nearest  neighbor  in  the  heavens, 
and  is,  in  fact,  an  appendage  of  our  world.  In  herself 
she  is  a  perfectly  dark  sphere,  like  that  upon  which  we 
tread.  She  shines  by  borrowed  light,  and  becomes 
visible  simply  by  the  rays  of  the  sun  ftiUing  upon  her 
disk,  which,  according  to  the  ordinance  of  the  fourth 
day,  she  reflects  to  enlighten  the  earth.  The  sun 
always  illumines  one-half  of  her  surface ;  but  that  en- 


THE    FOURTH    DAY.  259 

lightened  side  is  so  situated  at  different  points  of  her 
orbit,  that  we  see  only  a  less  or  greater  part  of  it ;  and 
hence  arises  her  ever-varying  aspect. 

The  moon  is  one  of  those  heavenly  bodies  which 
astronomers  call  satellites,  or  secondary  planets,  and 
revolves  around  the  earth  as  a  centre,  accompanying  it 
at  the  same  time  in  its  annual  course  round  the  sun. 
The  moon  completes  her  circuit  round  the  earth  in 
27  ds.  7  hrs.  43  min.  11  sec. ;  but  while  she  has  been 
accomplishing  it,  the  earth  has  been  moving  uniformly 
on  in  her  annual  path,  at  the  rate  of  68,000  miles 
per  hour;  and  to  overtake  her,  so  as  to  appear  pre- 
cisely at  the  same  jDoint  in  the  heavens  as  she  did  at 
the  commencement  of  her  circuit,  she  has  to  travel  on 
for  2  ds.  5  hrs.  52  sec.  longer.  So  that  what  is  called 
a  lunar  month,  or  the  time  from  one  new  moon  to 
another,  is  29  ds.  12  hrs.  44  min.  3  sec. 

While  the  moon  thus  revolves  round  the  earth,  she 
also  rotates  on  her  axis  in  precisely  the  same  period ; 
and  by  this  arrangement  she  keeps  the  same  side  of  her 
sphere  always  towards  the  earth.  This  may  be  easily 
explained.  Let  a  lamp  standing  in  the  centre  of  a 
circular  table  represent  the  earth,  and  let  a  person  move 
once  round  the  table,  always  directly  facing  the  lamp, 
and  he  will  find  that,  in  going  round,  he  has  faced  every 
point  of  the  compass,  or  made  a  complete  rotation  on 
his  axis,  while  his  face,  like  the  moon's,  has  been  all 
the  while  toward  the  lamp. 

Thus  the  moon  is  found  to  have  a  triple  motion,  be- 


260  TEE  FOURTH  DAY. 

sides  certain  other  oscillations  of  too  abstruse  a  nature 
to  be  introduced  here,  which  altogether  render  her 
annual  career  a  most  wonderful  and  complicated  gyra- 
tion indeed.  And  yet  she  has  been  thus  pursuing  her 
appointed  rounds  from  year  to  year,  and  from  century 
to  century,  fulfilling  her  commission  as  the  Ruler  of  the 
Night,  without  failure  or  faltering,  ever  since  the 
morning  of  time. 

Moving  in  an  elliptical  orbit,  like  all  the  other  celes- 
tial spheres,  the  moon  is  sometimes  nearer  and  some- 
times further;  her  mean  distance  from  the  earth  is 
238,793  miles.  This  separates  her  from  us  by  a  vast 
interval,  it  is  true ;  yet  a  hundred  cables,  such  as  that 
of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph,  if  spliced  together,  would 
reach  from  the  earth  to  the  moon. 

The  moon's  diameter  is  2,160  miles,  consequently 
her  bulk  is  only  one-forty-fifth  part  that  of  the  earth. 
The  difference  in  size  between  the  two  globes,  therefore, 
is  great.  Were  a  traveller  to  start  at  mid-day,  and 
move  along  the  equator  of  the  moon  at  the  rate  of 
ten  miles  an  hour,  he  would  keep  the  sun  at  his 
noon  point  over  his  head  while  he  went  completely 
round  her,  which  he  would  accomplish  in  about  four 
weeks.  To  perform  the  same  feat  on  our  globe  he 
would  have  to  travel  at  a  rate  of  more  than  1,000 
miles  an  hour. 

The  optical  instruments  of  the  present  day  have 
brought  the  moon  near  enough  to  be  surveyed  with 
great  accuracy  and  satisfaction.     Looking  through  the 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  261 

great  Rosse  telescope,  "the  eye  is  directed  to  the 
heavens,  having  a  pupil  of  six  feet  diameter,  with  the 
most  complete  optical  structure ;  and  thus  the  quantity 
of  light  which  the  eye  receives  from  any  point  of  the 
heavens  is  augmented,  it  may  be,  50,000  times.  The 
rising  moon  is  seen  from  the  observatory  with  the  same 
increase  of  size  and  light,  as  if  her  solid  globe,  2,000 
miles  in  diameter,  retaining  all  its  illumination,  really 
rested  upon  the  summits  of  the  Alps  to  be  gazed  at  by 
the  naked  eye."  Scientific  ingenuity  has  gone  further. 
Two  independent  photographs  of  the  moon,  taken  at  a 
certain  epoch  in  two  difterent  lunations,  have  been 
successfully  obtained;  which,  when  placed  in  the 
magic  stereoscope,  present  her  to  the  eye  in  her  true 
spherical  form,  with  her  physical  features  standing  out 
in  all  their  actual  reality.  "  Nothing,"  says  Sir  John 
Herschell,  "  can  surpass  the  impression  of  real  corporeal 
form  thus  conveyed  by  these  pictures,  the  production 
of  which  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  and  unexpected 
triumphs  of  scientific  art." 

When  viewed  through  a  powerful  telescope,  the 
moon  presents  a  scenery  of  plains  and  mountains, 
peaks  and  caverns,  hanging  precipices,  and  insulated 
rocks  over  her  whole  extent.  No  seas,  or  any  certain 
indications  of  water  in  any  form,  have  been  discovered 
on  her  surface.  Many  of  her  plains  are  of  a  peculiar 
character,  being  surrounded  by  a  circular  ridge  of 
mountains,  like  a  wall  or  rampart.  Out  of  the  midst 
of  many  of  these  walled-in  plains  spring  isolated  and 


262  THE    FOURTH   DAY. 

precipitous  mountains,  like  tapering  obelisks,  reaching 
a  height  in  some  instances  of  several  miles,  and  throw- 
ing a  shadow  on  the  side  opposite  the  sun,  which  may 
be  as  distinctly  seen  as  the  shadow  of  a  house  in  the 
street.  Another  singular  feature  of  the  moon's  surface 
consists  in  vast  circular  cavities  of  all  dimensions  up  to 
one  hundred  miles  in  diameter,  and  down  to  three 
miles  in  depth.  These  abound  everywhere — surmount- 
ing the  highest  mountains,  piercing  the  deepest  valleys, 
and  checkering  the  monotony  of  the  plains.  The 
mountains  of  our  satellite  are  not  only  very  numerous, 
but  many  of  them  also  very  lofty,  much  more  so  in 
proportion  to  its  size  than  the  mountains  of  the  earth. 
The  highest  of  the  lunar  mountains  reaches  an  eleva- 
tion of  26,691  feet. 

The  surface  of  the  moon  has  been  accurately  mapped, 
and  to  its  principal  plains  and  mountains  have  been 
given  names  as  to  those  of  our  own  globe.  And  in 
order  to  gain  a  clearer  idea  of  lunar  scenery,  let  us  now 
survey  one  or  two  of  these  a  little  more  closely. 
Among  the  more  notable  of  her  mountains  is  one  that 
has  received  the  name  Tycho.  "  Let  us  in  imagination 
stand  for  a  few  moments  within  its  arena.  Around  us 
on  every  side  rises  a  mighty  wall  of  rock,  forming  a 
circle  of  fifty-four  miles  diameter.  Looking  up  from 
the  interior  plain,  it  is  17,000  feet  of  clear  precipice 
before  the  eye  rests.  Before  us  extends  a  plain  for 
about  twenty-five  miles,  interrupted,  however,  by  con- 
centric ridges  of  rocky  mountains  or  barriers,  that  en- 


THE    FOURTH   DAY.  2G3 

circle  in  irregular  and  broken  masses  of  fearful  magni- 
tude and  height  the  awful  centre,  whence,  from  a  black 
and  profound  gulf,  that  opens  its  mighty  jaws,  springs 
a  huge  dark  mountain,  whose  steej)  and  pointed  sum- 
mit, higher  than  the  lofty  Snowdon,  shoots  ui)ward  for 
above  4,000  feet  in  sheer  precipice  from  the  plain. 
The  centre,  this,  of  a  terrible  convulsion  that  once 
shook  the  very  heart  and  substance  of  our  satellite."* 

Let  us  look  at  another  of  these  annular  mountains — 
Eratosthenes.  At  the  extremity  of  a  remarkable  range 
is  a  vast  crater,  thirty-seven  miles  in  diameter;  the 
interior  of  this  is  almost  as  even  and  uniform  as  a  regu- 
larly laid  stone  wall ;  the  bottom  is  a  plain,  which, 
however,  is  not  on  a  level  with  the  general  surface  out- 
side, but  lies  3,000  feet  below  it.  The  edge  of  the 
crater  being  raised  3,000  feet  above  the  exterior  sur- 
face, it  follows,  therefore,  that  the  interior  descent  is 
6,000  feet.  From  the  centre  of  this  awful  pit  rises  a 
stupendous  cone-like  mountain,  full  10,000  feet  above 
the  edge  of  the  crater,  making  its  entire  altitude  16,000 
feet ;  so  that  its  summit  is  brightly  lighted  by  the  sun- 
beams long  before  its  base,  or  any  portion  of  the  sur- 
rounding plain,  has  received  a  ray. 

The  moon  has  her  plains  as  well  as  mountains.  In 
the  northeast  quarter  of  her  hemisphere  is  a  plain 
called  Mare  Imbrium,  or  Sea  of  Showers,  though  no 
shower  has  ever  fallen  upon  it.  Making  thought  our 
chariot,  let  us  take  our  flight  and  visit  it,  taking  with 

*  Cramptnn. 


2G4  'i'il^   FOURTH  DAY. 

US  Mr.  Crampton  for  our  guide.  "Casting  our  eyes 
around  us,  what  do  we  see?  A  boundless  desert, 
stretching  away  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  on  every 
side,  save  in  one  or  two  points,  where  a  chain  of  lofty 
mountains  can  be  perceived,  whose  brilliant  pointed 
summits,  glittering  in  the  sunbeams,  just  appear  on  the 
distant  horizon.  The  light  and  heat  are  of  a  tropical 
fierceness,  and  there  is  not  a  cloud  afloat  to  shield  us. 
An  infinite  number  of  circular  pits  of  all  depths  and 
diameters  are  scattered  over  the  plain.  Above,  the  sky 
is  black,  out  of  which  the  sun  gleams  like  a  red-hot 
ball ;  and  the  stars  sparkle  like  diamonds,  for  no  atmos- 
phere such  as  ours  exists,  to  give  by  its  refractive  and 
reflecting  powers  the  delicious  blue  to  its  heavens,  and 
the  softened  shade  to  its  landscape.  The  lights  and 
shades  are  indented  upon  its  features  deep  and  dark, 
or  intensely  bright ;  no  softening  away  in  the  distance ; 
no  gentle  and  beautiful  perspective ;  no  lovely  twilight 
morning  or  evening  stealing  over  or  away  from  the 
scene.  All  the  shadows  are  abrupt  and  sudden ;  all  the 
outlines  sharp,  clear ;  objects  appearing  startlingly  near 
even  when  really  distant.  No  sound  follows  our  foot- 
fall, or  is  ever  heard  in  that  silent  place,  for  there  is  no 
atmosphere  to  conduct  it ;  no  fresh  breeze  blows  on  its 
mountain  tops,  sighs  through  its  burning  deserts,  rus- 
tles through  the  brilliant  green  of  forests,  or  waves  over 
grassy  meadows ;  the  silence  of  death  broods  over  its 
arid  wastes  and  rocky  shores,  against  which  no  tides 
or  billows  break." 


THE    FOURTU   DAY.  265 

The  seasons  and  climate  of  the  moon  are  peculiar. 
"Wliatever  of  summer  and  winter  she  may  have,  must 
result  from  her  rotation  on  her  axis,  the  period  of 
which  is  only  a  short  month.  Hence  the  length  of  her 
(lay  is  equal  to  fifteen  of  our  days,  and  her  night  is  the 
same ;  consequently,  she  has  but  twelve  days  and 
twelve  nights  in  the  year.  To  relieve  her  tedious 
nights  she  enjoys  a  splendid  moonlight,  the  earth  per- 
forming exactly  the  same  office,  and  exhibiting  a  simi- 
lar change  of  phases,  only  being  thirteen  times  larger 
to  her,  that  she  does  to  us.  No  indications  of  an 
atmosphere  have  been  detected  about  her ;  if  she  has 
any,  it  must  be  one  of  extreme  tenuity,  for  it  is  demon- 
strable that  its  density  cannot  be  equal  to  a  two- 
thousandth  part  of  that  of  the  earth.  "  Hence  the 
climate  of  the  moon,"  says  Sir  John  Herschell,  "  must 
be  very  extraordinary ;  the  alternation  being  that  of 
unmitigated  and  burning  sunshine  fiercer  than  an  equa- 
torial noon,  continued  for  a  whole  fortnight ;  and  the 
keenest  severity  of  frost,  far  exceeding  that  of  our  polar 
winters,  for  an  equal  time." 

The  moon  presents  us  with  another  interesting  class 
of  phenomena  in  the  eclipses  which  she  sometimes 
occasions  to  the  sun,  and  sometimes  undergoes  herself. 
An  eclipse  of  the  sun  is  caused  by  the  moon  in  her 
revolution  round  the  earth  coming  between  us  and  the 
sun,  and  being  a  dark  hody,  she  appears  as  a  black  spot 
on  the  sun's  surface,  covering  a  less  or  greater  portion, 
or  even  in  some  conjunctures,  the  whole  of  his  disk. 


MOON'S  ANNUAL  PATH. 


ECLIPSES  OF  THE  SUN  AND  MOON. 


THE   FOURTH   lAY.  2G7 

An  eclipse  of  the  «uii  cuii  take  place  only  at  the  time 
of  the  new  moon.  The  shadow  of  the  moon,  which  on 
such  occasions  falls  upon  the  earth,  covers  only  a  small 
portion  of  its  surface,  not  being  at  any  time  more  than 
one  hundred  and  eighty  miles  in  diameter.  This 
shadow  travels  the  surface  of  our  globe  at  the  rate  of 
2,200  miles  per  hour ;  so  that  the  sun  is  never  totally 
obscured,  at  any  particular  point,  for  more  than  four 
minutes. 

An  eclipse  of  the  moon  is  produced  by  the  interposi- 
tion of  the  earth  between  her  and  the  sun.  The  earth 
being  a  dark  globe,  and  enlightened  by  the  sun,  casts 
a  shadow  in  the  form  of  a  cone  on  the  opposite  side, 
which  reaches  to  the  distance  of  840,000  miles,  or  three 
and  a  half  times  the  distance  of  the  moon's  orbit ;  and 
when  the  moon  happens  to  pass  through  this  shadow, 
she  is  deprived  of  the  sun's  light,  and  eclipsed.  This 
can  take  place  only  at  the  full  moon.  And  as  this 
shadow  is  about  6,000  miles  broad  at  the  distance  of 
the  moon,  her  passage  through  it,  when  central,  occu- 
pies from  beginning  to  end  about  3  hrs.  and  45  min. — 
All  eclipses  both  of  the  sun  and  moon  recur  within  a 
period  of  eighteen  years  and  ten  days. 

Solar  and  lunar  eclipses,  while  presenting  striking 
exhibitions  of  the  workings  of  the  celestial  machinery, 
are  also  occurrences  of  great  advantage  and  utility. 
They  plainly  show  us  that  the  moon  is  an  opaque  body 
— that  when  we  cannot  see  her  she  really  exists — that 
when  we   behold  her  only  as  a  slender  crescent  the 


268  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

whole  globular  body  is  there — that  the  earth  is  of  a 
spherical  figure,  as  its  shadow  falling  on  the  face  of  the 
moon  is  always  circular — that  the  sun  is  larger  than 
the  earth,  and  the  earth  larger  than  the  moon.  Lunar 
eclipses  are  also  of  importance  to  determine  with  accu- 
racy the  longitude  of  particular  places  on  the  face  of 
the  earth. 

Eclipses  have  also  served  to  establish  the  dates  of 
many  events  recorded  in  ancient  history.  The  occur- 
rence and  character  of  an  eclipse,  together  with  the 
locality  at  which  it  was  observed,  in  connection  with 
any  memorable  event  of  antiquity,  being  given,  the 
astronomer  by  calculating  backwards,  can  read  off  by 
the  clock-works  of  the  universe  the  precise  time  when 
the  event  took  place.  The  celebrated  eclipse  men- 
tioned by  Herodotus,  which,  by  its  ominous  appearance, 
caused  the  suspension  of  the  battle  between  the  Medes 
and  Lydians,  followed  by  a  treaty  of  peace,  has  been 
ascertained  to  have  occurred  in  the  585th  year  B.  C. ; 
and  not  only  that,  but  the  course  of  the  moon's  shadow 
over  the  earth's  surface,  being  also  traced  by  the  same 
calculation,  determined  the  field  of  the  impending  con- 
flict to  have  been  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Halys. 
Another  eclipse  mentioned  by  Thucydides,  as  having 
occurred  on  the  afternoon  of  a  summer's  day,  in  the 
first  year  of  the  Peloponesian  war,  is  found  to  have 
happened,  August  3d,  B.  C.  413,  and  to  have  passed 
over  the  city  of  Athens.  Xenophon  relates  that  during 
the  siege  of  Larissa,  an  eclipse  of  the  sun  took  place, 


THE    FOURTH   DAY.  2G0 

which  produced  a  panic  among  its  Median  defenders, 
of  Avhich  the  Persians  took  advantage  and  captured  the 
cit}- ;  and  astronomical  calculation  has  fixed  the  event 
on  the  15th  of  August,  B.C.  310;  and  that  the  shadow- 
being  on  this  occasion  only  twenty-five  miles  in  diame- 
ter passed  centrally  over  the  place. 

Two  blocks  of  stone  were  recently  exhumed  from  the 
ruins  of  Nineveh,  and  brought  to  the  British  Museum ; 
one  containing  a  list  of  kings  of  Assyria,  and  the  other 
a  list  of  dates ;  but  there  was  no  known  connection 
between  them.  Rawlinson,  the  great  decipherer,  how- 
ever, has  put  the  two  together,  and  found,  in  fact,  that 
they  are  complementary  parts  of  the  same  stone,  fitting 
into  each  other  exactly,  and  giving  thus  a  complete 
and  exact  record  of  the  Assyrian  empire  for  a  period  of 
two  hundred  and  forty-three  years.  Among  the  facts 
recorded  on  these  stones  is  an  eclipse  of  the  sun,  which 
is  distinctly  and  with  particulars  noted.  And  astro- 
nomical calculations  have  just  ascertained  that  it 
occurred  on  the  loth  day  of  June,  B.  C.  7G3,  and  that 
it  was  a  total  eclipse. — Thus  the  sun  and  moon,  the 
faithful  witnesses  established  in  the  heavens,  point  out 
to  us  the  places,  and  read  to  ns  the  dates,  of  events  that 
transpired  in  this  lower  world  hundreds  and  thousands 
of  years  before  we  came  into  being !  How  wonderful 
the  ingenuity  of  man  that  can  elicit  such  information 
from  distant  worlds ;  how  surpassing  wonder  the  unde- 
viating  and  infallible  movements  of  those  heavenly 
orbs  through  all  the  lapse  of  ages ! 


270  THE   FOURTH  DAY. 


REFLECTIONS. 


In  the  moon  we  have  literally  opened  up  to  us  a  neio 
world,  full  of  strange  scenes,  and  suggestive  of  a  thou- 
sand thoughts  that  expand  our  conceptions  of  the  great 
work  of  creation.  Who  can  look  up  at  her  in  her 
naked  grandeur,  or  contemplate  her  scenes  of  frightful 
wilds  and  desolations,  or  witness  the  ominous  gloom 
attendant  upon  her  eclipses,  and  not  be  led  to  muse, 
Whence  originated  this  wondrous  orb  ?  Who  poised  it 
in  the  empty  space  above  ?  When  were  those  rocky 
steeps,  those  mountain  pinnacles,  piled  on  high?  By 
what  means,  and  for  what  ends,  were  scooped  out  those 
jDrofound  and  gloomy  caverns  in  her  sides  ?  Whence 
the  impulse  that  gave  to  her  her  m3'stic  motions 
through  the  heavens  ?  Who  were  present  and  witnesses 
of  the  deed  ?  What  has  been  her  eventful  history  ? 
And  to  what  destiny  does  she  hasten  in  the  end? 
These  are  reflections  in  which  no  serious  mind  can  in- 
dulge without  being  raised  in  awe  and  adoration  to  the 
Great  Architect,  who  by  his  Spirit  garnished  the 
heavens,  and  established  the  earth. 

From  a  hint  dropped  in  the  Holy  Book,  the  moon 
occurs  to  us  at  once  as  an  expressive  emblem  of  the 
Church  of  God  on  earth. 

As  the  moon,  though  widely  separated  from  the 
earth,  is  attached  to  it  by  the  invisible  bonds  of  gravi- 
tation, and  ordained  to  travel  with  it  in  its  appointed 
course  round  the  sun — so  the  church  militant,  though 


THE    FOURTH   DAY.  271 

distinct  from  the  \vorld,  is  connected  with  it  by  many 
ties,  and  appointed  to  pursue  her  pilgrimage  along  with 
it  to  eternity. 

As  the  moou  receives  all  her  light  from  the  natural 
sun,  so  the  church  receives  all  her  spiritual  light  from 
the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  Let  the  sun  veil  himself 
from  the  moon  and  she  is  in  utter  darkness,  and  can  be 
seen  no  more :  so  let  the  Sun  of  Riiz:liteousness  hide  his 
face  from  the  church  and  she  is  involved  in  darkness 
and  sorrow ;  her  light,  like  that  of  the  moon,  is  derived 
from  another  and  a  higher  source. 

As  the  moon  has  been  appointed  to  reflect  the  light 
she  receives  upon  the  earth  to  relieve  her  darkness,  to 
guide  the  lone  mariner  on  the  deep,  to  lead  the  belated 
traveller  in  his  path,  and  to  cheer  the  shepherd  keep- 
ing watch  over  his  flock  by  night — so  the  church  has 
been  ordained  to  reflect  her  heavenly  light  for  the 
guidance  of  benighted  and  bewildered  humanity  around 
her.  The  design  of  her  establishment,  like  that  of  the 
moon,  is  to  give  light  upon  the  earth. 

As  the  moon  remains  not  stationary  in  the  heavens 
over  some  favored  spot,  but  according  to  the  law  of  her 
creation,  pursues  her  career  round  the  globe  to  cheer 
and  enlighten  its  every  habitable  region — so  the  church 
has  been  organized  and  commanded  to  carry  the  light 
of  the  Gospel  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  un- 
searchable riches  of  Christ  to  every  creature. 

As  the  moon,  while  shining  in  her  usual  brightness, 
moves  forward  unnoticed,  but  when  under  an  eclipse 


272  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

has  the  gaze  and  remarks  of  half  the  earth's  j^opulatloii 
— so  the  church  while  walking  in  light  and  love,  en- 
lists but  little  of  the  world's  attention ;  but  let  her 
honor  pass  under  a  cloud,  or  her  purity  be  tarnished 
by  the  misconduct  of  but  a  member,  and  the  eyes  of  all 
are  fixed  upon  her,  and  her  failing  repeated  by  every 
tongue.     Let  the  Israel  of  God  take  heed  to  their  ways. 


THE   PLANETS. 
He  made  the  Stars  also. 

The  inspired  Historian,  having  spoken  of  the  two 
great  lights,  and  described  their  appointed  offices  so  far 
as  we  are  concerned,  before  returning  to  the  creative 
process  on  the  face  of  the  earth,  casts  a  glance  toward 
the  nocturnal  heavens,  and  tells  us  that  the  same  Al- 
mighty Hand  "  made  the  stars  also."  Looking  upward 
vv^ith  him,  the  first  thing  that  strikes  us,  is  the  great 
number  and  brilliancy  of  these  stars.  Observing  them 
closely,  other  features  and  distinctions  soon  reveal  them- 
selves to  us  among  them.  They  appear  to  be  of  two 
kinds  or  classes.  One  class,  by  far  the  most  numerous, 
retain  the  same  relative  positions,  never  further  from 
or  nearer  to  one  another ;  and  are  of  such  a  nature  that 
no  telescope,  however  we  may  increase  its  magnifying 
power,  produces  the  least  change  in  their  apparent 
dimensions :  these  are  called  Fixed  Stars.  The  other 
class,  few  in  number,  continually  change  their  positions, 


TUE  FOURTH  DAY.  273 

sometimes  approaching  to  and  sometimes  receding  from 
each  other ;  now  rising  or  setting  early,  and  now  late ; 
these  are  readily  magnified  by  the  power  of  the  tele- 
scope, and  are  called  Planets,  or  wandering  stars.  Of 
planets  there  are  eight  large  ones,  our  globe  being  in- 
cluded in  the  number;  and  about  one  hundred  small 
ones,  or  planetoids.  All  the  planets,  at  different  dis- 
tances and  in  different  periods,  revolve  around  the  sun 
as  their  common  centre ;  and  their  orbits,  magnitudes, 
and  rotations  have  been  calculated  with  the  utmost 
precision. 

The  first  and  nearest  planet  to  the  sun  is  Mercury. 
It  revolves  around  him  at  the  mean  distance  of  37,000,- 
000  of  miles,  and  completes  its  circuit  in  87  ds.  23  hrs. 
and  25  min. ;  in  doing  this  it  moves  at  the  amazing 
velocity  of  109,000  miles  per  hour.  It  rotates  upon 
its  axis  in  24  hrs.  and  5  min.  Hence,  while  its  days 
and  nights  do  not  differ  materially  from  our  own,  its 
annual  changes  of  summer  and  winter  return  four  times 
to  our  one.  Its  diameter  is  3,200  miles ;  consequentl}^ 
its  bulk  is  only  one-fifteenth  that  of  our  globe.  But  it 
is  composed  of  materials  far  more  dense  or  weighty 
than  those  of  any  of  the  other  planets.  Its  entire 
weight  is  but  one-sixth  that  of  the  earth ;  and  gravita- 
tion at  its  surface  is  only  two-fifths  of  what  we  expe- 
rience ;  hence  an  individual  who  can  lift  200  pounds  on 
the  earth,  could  lift  on  Mercury  500  pounds  with  the 
same  exertion. 

This  planet,  moving  as  it  does  so  near  the  sun,  is 

18 


274  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

visible  to  the  naked  eye  only  at  intervals,  or  when 
furthest  from  him,  when  it  appears  to  emit  very 
white  light.  In  consequence  of  its  orbit  being  within 
that  of  the  earth,  it  j)asses  in  the  course  of  its  revo- 
lution through  all  the  phases  of  the  moon,  which 
proves  it  to  be  in  itself  a  dark  body,  and  this  is  also 
proved  from  its  transit  across  the  sun,  when  it  appears 
as  a  black  spot  on  his  disk.  By  reason  of  its  constant 
proximity  to  the  sun,  never  further  than  twenty-nine 
degrees,  the  telescope  has  been  able  to  make  but  few 
discoveries  on  its  surface.  Certain  inequalities,  how- 
ever, have  been  detected ;  some  of  which  are  supposed 
to  be  mountains.  The  quantity  of  light  and  heat 
poured  by  the  sun  on  mercury  is  nearly  seven  times 
that  upon  the  earth ;  but  as  it  is  surrounded  by  an  at- 
mosphere much  loaded  with  clouds,  these  may  serve  to 
mitigate  the  intensity  of  both,  so  that  it  is  possible  this 
planet  may  be  as  comfortable  an  abode  as  our  own  globe. 
The  next  planet  in  order  is  Venus,  the  morning  and 
evening  star,  and,  to  the  naked  eye,  the  most  brilliant 
and  beautiful  in  the  heavens.  It  revolves  about  the 
sun  at  the  mean  distance  of  68,000,000  of  miles,  mov- 
ing at  the  rate  of  80,000  miles  per  hour,  and  complet- 
ing its  circuit  in  224  ds.  and  16  hrs.  Hence  the  length 
of  its  year  is  only  seven  and  one-half  months.  It 
rotates  upon  its  axis  in  23  hrs.  and  21  min.,  so  that  its 
days  and  nights,  as  to  length,  are  very  nearly  the  same 
as  our  own.  In  its  revolution  around  the  sun,  like 
Mercury,  and  for  the  same  reason,  it  passes  through  all 


THE  FOURTU  DAY.  275 

the  phases  of  the  moon ;  and  like  that  planet  also,  it 
makes  a  transit  across  the  sun's  disk ;  both  these  cir- 
cumstances prove  it,  though  shining  so  brilliantly,  to 
be  in  itself  a  perfectly  dark  body.  Its  next  transit 
will  be  on  December  9,  1874. 

In  size  and  weight  this  planet  is  very  nearly  equal 
to  the  earth;  its  diameter  being  7,800  miles.  From 
its  surfiice,  the  sun  appears  twice  as  large  as  he  does  to 
us,  and  of  course  it  receives  double  the  amount  of  light 
and  heat.  Both  these,  however,  may  be  greatly  modi- 
fied by  its  extensive  and  vaporous  atmosphere,  which 
is  said  to  be  as  dense  again  as  ours ;  so  that  its  climate 
may  be  genial  and  delightful  as  that  of  the  troj^ical 
regions  of  the  earth.  Venus,  at  its  nearest  approach, 
comes  within  27,000,000  of  miles  of  the  earth.  It 
might,  therefore,  be  supposed  that  we  should  be  better 
acquainted  with  it  than  any  other  celestial  body,  as  no 
other  comes  so  near  us,  the  moon  excepted.  This, 
however,  is  not  the  case ;  its  intense  lustre  dazzles  the 
sight,  and  renders  it  the  most  difficult  of  all  to  define 
with  the  telescope.  Some  observers  have  thought 
they  detected  several  mountain  ridges  of  great  extent 
and  elevation  upon  its  surface,  but  this  is  doubtful. 

The  third  planet  in  the  system  is  the  Earth,  the 
world  of  man.  We  have  already  described  the  phys- 
ical phenomena  of  the  earth's  surface,  and  it  remains 
for  us  here  only  to  notice  her  position  and  relations  as 
a  planet,  or  a  member  of  the  solar  system. 

The  earth   travels   round  the  sun  in  an  elliptical 


276  THE   FOURTH  DAY. 

orbit,  the  longer  diameter  of  which  is  more  than 
3,000,000  of  miles  greater  than  the  shorter ;  and,  in 
consequence  of  this,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  we  are 
much  nearer  the  sun  at  midwinter  than  in  midsum- 
mer. The  mean  distance  of  our  globe  from  the  sun  is 
about  92,000,000  of  miles.  It  accomplishes  its  annual 
revolution,  a  journey  of  more  than  550,000,000  of  miles, 
in  365  ds.  5  hrs.  48  min.  and  49  sec.  And  nothing 
can  be  more  astonishing  than  the  uniformity  and  jDreci- 
sion  with  which  it  performs  this  stupendous  circuit. 
To  assist  us  in  appreciating  this,  let  us  suppose  that  the 
solar  system  was  first  set  in  motion  just  6,000  years 
ago,  and  that  the  earth  had  fallen  behind  or  been  in 
advance  of  its  designed  and  appointed  speed  only  five 
seconds  in  running  1,000,000  of  miles,  which  would 
have  been  a  small  error  indeed ;  yet,  at  tliis  date,  it 
would  have  amounted  to  more  than  six  months,  and  our 
globe  would  have  been  at  that  point  in  her  orbit  marked 
by  the  first  of  January,  when  it  should  have  been  at  that 
of  the  first  of  July.  But  no  such  reversion  of  seasons 
has  taken  place,  therefore  even  this  discrepancy  has 
not  occurred ;  so  that  midsummer  and  midwinter  are 
to  us  where  they  were  to  Noah  in  building  the  ark, 
and  to  Adam  when  roaming  amid  the  beauties  of 
Paradise. 

It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  special  notice  and  admiration, 
that  the  length  of  the  earth's  year  has  been  so  mea- 
sured as  to  be  exactly  adapted  to  the  constitution  of 
the  plants   and  animals  occupying  its  surface,  or  the 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  277 

constitution  of  these  plants  and  animals  has  been  so 
adjusted  as  to  be  exactly  suited  to  the  length  of  the 
year.  The  vegetable  clock,  says  Wheewell,  is  so  set 
as  to  go  a  year.  To  raise  the  sap,  form  the  juices,  un- 
fold the  leaves,  expand  the  flowers,  mature  the  seed, 
ripen  the  fruit,  and  rest  and  recuperate  the  vital  energies 
— all  this  requires  just  the  present  seasons,  and  just  the 
period  of  a  year.  Were  the  year  either  lengthened  or 
shortened  three  or  four  months,  the  whole  ve2;etable 
world  would  be  thrown  into  utter  disorder ;  the  func- 
tions of  plants  would  be  entirely  deranged,  and  the 
whole  vegetable  kingdom  would  be  involved  in  imme- 
diate decay  and  rapid  extinction.  The  same  holds 
true  in  regard  to  animals.  Every  species  of  beasts  in 
all  their  reproductive  energies,  functions,  and  habits 
are  constituted  with  obvious  reference  to  the  yearly 
cycle.  So,  too,  are  the  birds ;  the  process  of  paring, 
nesting,  hatching,  fledging,  etc.,  take  up  and  require 
the  year  to  complete.  And  even  the  insects  in  their 
production,  transformations,  and  hybernation,  evince 
a  similar  adaptation  to  this  specific  period  of  time. 
Here,  then,  is  an  adjustment,  not  in  one  or  two  species 
only,  but  in  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands,  that 
offers  a  most  striking  demonstration  of  calculating  and 
designing  wisdom  in  the  formation  of  the  world.  Here 
are  myriads  of  animal  and  vegetable  chronometers, 
endlessly  diversified  in  form  and  character,  yet  all 
wound  up  so  as  to  run  exactly  for  the  period  measured 
out  by  the  earth's  revolution. 


278  THE   FOURTH  DAY. 

While  the  earth  pursues  its  yearly  course,  it  at  the 
same  time  rotates  upon  its  axis,  or  g.  line  of  diameter. 
This  axis  is  not  upright,  or  perpendicular  to  the  plane 
of  its  orbit,  but  inclines    twenty-three  and  a  half  de- 
grees  from  a  perpendicular  line.     This  inclination  it 
preserves  throughout  its  annual  course,  always  point- 
ing in  the  same  direction,  always  keeping  parallel  with 
itself.     From  tliis  simple  adjustment  a  series  of  changes 
and  influences  result  of  the  utmost  importance  to  our 
world.     By  this  means  the  whole  round  of  the  seasons 
is  produced,  and   the  duration  of  light   and  darkness 
made  to  vary,  not  only  at  different  periods  of  the  year, 
but  also  in  all  the  different  latitudes  of  the  globe.     It 
is  owing  to  this  that,  during  the  summer   half  of  the 
year,  the  days  increase  in  length  as  we  depart  from  the 
equator,  from  twelve  hours  until,  at  the  pole,  there  is 
a  continuous  day  of  sunlight  for  six  months ;  while  in 
the  opposite  hemisphere  there  is  a  similar  increase  of 
darkness,  until,  at  the  other  pole,  there  is  a  night  of  six 
months,  during  which  the  sun  never  once  appears  above 
the   horizon.     Had  the  earth   revolved  in  a  circular 
orbit  and   been  set  to  rotate  on  a  perpendicular  axis, 
(which  probably  w^ould  have  been  the  arrangement  of 
man,)  we  should  have  known  none  of  these  interesting 
and   important   vicissitudes.       Day   and   night   would 
have  been  always  and  everywhere  of  the  same  uniform 
length  ;  and  instead  of  the  delightful  diversity  of  sea- 
sons which  we  now  enjoy — the  winter  reposing  and 
invigorating  the  energies  of  vegetable  and  animal,  the 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  279 

spring  renewing  and  enlivening  the  face  of  nature,  the 
summer  investing  the  earth  with  its  luxuriance  and 
glories  of  sunshine,  and  autumn  bringing  in  its  golden 
fruits  and  softly  fading  shades — instead  of  all  this,  the 
year,  from  its  beginning  to  its  close,  would  have  been 
one  dull  monotony.  All  these  grateful,  interesting, 
and  important' changes  are  secured  by  the  introduction 
of  an  angle  of  few  degrees — by  the  slight  inclination 
of  a  single  line  !  How  simple  the  means,  yet  how  vast 
and  varied  and  important  the  results ! 

The  civil  day  of  twenty-four  hours  is  not  the  mea- 
sure of  the  earth's  diurnal  revolution,  but  a  mean  of 
all  the  solar  days  in  the  year,  which  are  perpetually 
varying.  The  exact  time  in  which  it  rotates  upon 
its  axis  is  23  hrs.  56  min.  4.09  sec.  This  carries  its 
equator  round  at  the  rate  of  more  than  1,000  miles 
per  hour — a  velocity  in  itself  sufficient  to  rend  the 
mountains,  yet  so  equable  is  the  motion  that  it  dis- 
turbs not  even  the  delicate  down  that  rests  so  lightly 
upon  the  leaf  of  a  flower !  It  is,  moreover,  an  abso- 
lutely undeviating  and  perfect  motion.  Our  globe  in 
its  diurnal  rotation  has  not  varied  the  breadth  of  a 
hair  or  the  fraction  of  a  second  since  man  was  placed 
upon  it.  If  its  motion  upon  its  axis  had  slackened  by 
the  one-hundredth  part  of  a  second  in  a  revolution, 
and  continued  to  do  so  for  6,000  years,  the  day  would 
have  been  already  lengthened  by  six  hours,  and  the 
number  of  days  in  the  year  reduced  to  292.  But  as 
no  such  change  in  our  days  has  occurred,  of  course  no 


280  THE   FOURTH  DAY. 

such  variation  even  as  the  hundredth  part  of  a  second 
has  taken  place.  Who  then  can  sufficiently  admire  the 
perfection  of  the  Creator's  works  !  But  our  admiration 
must  rise  to  the  higher  feeling  of  devout  gratitude  when 
we  consider  that  this  perfection  of  the  earth's  rotation 
is  essential  to  the  welfare  of  every  living  thing  upon  it. 
In  the  constitution  of  both  plants  and  animals  there 
is  found  a  periodicity  of  functions  corresponding  to  the 
period  of  the  globe's  diurnal  rotation,  the  one  being 
exactly  adapted  to  the  other.  The  cycle  of  light  and 
darkness,  says  Wheewell,  from  whom  these  thoughts 
are  borrowed,  coincides  with  the  cycle  of  the  animal 
and  vegetable  constitution.  The  chemistry  of  all 
plants  is  carried  on  according  to  the  regular  alteniii- 
tion  of  day  and  night,  which  also  have  their  influence 
on  the  circulation  of  the  sap.  Flowers,  too,  have  their 
set  and  regular  hours  to  open  and  close.  All  these  and 
many  other  things  clearly  prove  that  there  is  a  diurnal 
period  belonging  to  the  constitution  of  vegetables,  and 
that  they  are  in  their  structure  adapted  to  the  periods 
of  day  and  night.  Animals  also  exhibit  with  equal 
plainness  the  same  periodicity  and  adaptation  in  their 
constitution  by  their  instinctive  and  stated  habits  of 
waking,  sleeping,  eating,  etc.  Birds  retire  and  rise, 
and  cocks  crow  through  the  watches  of  the  night  with 
the  regularity  of  a  clock.  Nor  is  man  in  this  case  an 
exception ;  his  food,  and  labor,  and  repose  must  recur 
with  every  twenty-four  hours ;  any  material  or  pro- 
longed  departure    from   this   cycle  will   surely   bring 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  281 

on  its  retribution  of  evil  in   the   loss  of  health   and 
strength. 

Now  there  appears  no  reason  why  the  earth,  of 
nocessit}",  should  rotate  in  just  the  period  of  twenty- 
four  hours.  It  might  have  revolved  in  a  very  differ- 
ent period ;  other  planets  do  so.  Nor,  on  the  other 
hand,  ean  we  discover  any  reason  necessitating  the 
constitution  of  plants,  animals,  and  man  to  be  just  of 
the  same  periodical  character ;  for  aught  that  we  can 
see,  they  might  have  been  made  for  a  period  much 
longer  or  shorter,  or  all  of  them  made  for  difierent 
periods.  Whence  then  this  universal  harmony  out  of 
innumerable  possibilities?  Whence  these  equal  periods 
in  a  bird  and  a  planet,  in  a  flower  and  a  world,  in 
a  puny  man  and  a  stupendous  globe?  Whence  this 
adaptation  of  every  organized  being  of  the  earth  to 
the  specific  time  of  its  revolution  on  its  axis  ?  But 
one  answer  can  be  returned.  But  to  perceive  this 
point  in  its  full  force,  let  us  for  a  moment  suppose 
things  to  be  otherwise  than  Ave  find  them ;  let  us 
conceive  the  animal  and  vegetable  machinery  to  be 
made  to  run  for  twelve  hours,  and  the  earth's  rotation 
to  be  changed  to  forty-eight  hours.  What  in  that  case 
would  be  the  results  ?  Obviously  a  total  derangement 
of  the  whole  organized  creation ;  all  the  functions  of 
both  })lantal  and  animal  life  would  be  fatally  dis- 
turbed ;  both  would  languish  and  fail ;  and  man  him- 
self would  soon  sink  exhausted  beneath  the  protracted 
toil  of  so  long  a  day.     How  manifest,   then,  the  fore- 


282  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

sight  and  designing  wisdom  of  the  Creator  in  the  ex- 
isting arrangements  of  our  world.  How  phiin  that  he 
who  measured  out  the  imjDulse  that  gave  to  the  earth 
its  rotation,  measured  also  the  degree  of  vital  energy 
that  would  adapt  the  constitution  of  every  plant  and 
animal  that  were  to  occupy  its  surface. 

Equally  manifest  is  the  wisdom  of  the  Divine  Archi- 
tect in  fixing  the  distance  at  which  our  globe  revolves 
around  the  sun.  The  distance  of  a  planet  from  the 
sun,  other  things  being  equal,  determines  its  amount  of 
light  and  heat.  If,  therefore,  the  earth  with  its  occu- 
pants, as  now  constituted,  were  placed  much  nearer  the 
sun,  or  much  further  from  him,  the  change  would  be 
attended  with  fatal  consequences.  Were  it  transferred, 
for  example,  to  move  in  the  orbit  of  Mercury,  our  light 
and  heat  would  be  increased  seven-fold,  and  the  dazzling 
splendor  of  the  sun  would  extinguish  our  vision,  and 
the  intensity  of  his  beams  speedily  dry  up  all  the  fluids 
in  our  bodies.  On  the  other  hand,  were  the  earth 
driven  away  to  revolve  in  the  distant  orbit  of  Saturn, 
our  light  and  heat  would  be  only  one-ninetieth  part  of 
what  we  now  enjoy,  and  the  feeble  and  scattered  rays 
of  the  sun,  would  scarcely  enable  us  to  distinguish  him 
from  a  star ;  nay,  ere  we  could  cast  about  to  make  such 
an  observation,  the  immeasurable  cold  would  transform 
us  into  a  rock  of  ice.  We  see,  then,  that  our  globe 
might  have  moved  at  a  hundred  different  distances  all 
too  near  the  sun,  and  at  a  thousand  other  distances  all 
too  far  from  him,  to  be  a  suitable  abode  for  its  present 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  283 

inhabitants.  But  we  find  it  placed  in  an  orbit  where 
the  temperature  is  exactly  adapted  to  the  bodily  con- 
stitution, and  the  degree  of  light  precisely  suits  the 
visual  organs,  of  all  its  living  tenants.  To  whom  then 
are  we  to  ascribe  this  striking  coincidence,  this  happy 
and  universal  adaptation  ?  To  chance  ?  or  to  the  fore- 
sight and  contrivance  of  the  Infinite  Mind  ? 

Once  more :  The  all-comprehending  wisdom  of  the 
Divine  Builder  is  seen  in  the  mass  and  dimensions  of 
our  planet.  The  earth  is  a  globe  whose  equatorial 
diameter  is  7,926  miles;  and  whose  density  is  four  and 
a  half  times  that  of  water ;  that  is,  the  earth  if  placed 
in  a  balance  would  weigh  four  and  a  half  globes  of 
water  of  equal  size  with  itself  These  two  things,  its 
density  and  dimensions,  determine  the  amount  of 
gravitation  at  its  surface ;  or  which  is  the  same  thing, 
the  force  or  weight  with  which  any  object  or  substance 
presses  down  towards  its  centre.  Now  the  gravitation 
of  the  earth,  for  anything  that  appears,  might  have 
been  different  from  what  it  is;  it  might  have  been 
much  greater  by  increasing  its  size,  or  by  employing 
denser  materials,  like  those  of  Mercury,  in  its  construc- 
tion ;  or  it  might  have  been  much  less  by  reducing  its 
dimensions,  or  by  constructing  it  of  lighter  substances, 
similar  to  those  of  Saturn.  Man's  science  can  dis- 
cover no  necessitating  reason  why  the  globe  should  be 
precisely  of  its  present  mass  or  dimensions;  we  see  in 
the  system  other  planets  that  differ  widely  from  it  in 
both  these  particulars;  gravitation  on  the  surfiice  of 


284  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

Jupiter  is  two  and  a  half  times  that  of  the  earth; 
while  on  the  surface  of  Mars  it  is  only  one-half  what 
we  experience.  The  gravitation  of  our  globe,  there- 
fore, might  have  been  much  more,  or  much  less 
than  it  is. 

Let  us  now,  for  illustration's  sake,  consider  what 
would  be  the  consequences  to  the  present  vegetation 
and  animals  of  the  earth  were  its  gravitation  increased 
— say  doubled.  This,  of  course,  would  double  the 
weight  of  every  object  and  element  on  its  face.  The 
atmosphere  would  press  with  two-fold  force,  and  thus 
render  respiration  laborious  and  painful.  Water  w^ould 
be  of  double  weight,  and  the  sap  in  trees  and  plants 
would  fail  to  ascend,  so  that  every  green  thing  would 
soon  perish  from  the  earth.  Tools  and  implements 
would  become  unwieldy,  and  every  mechanical  opera- 
tion in  the  field  and  in  the  workshop  would  demand 
as  much  strength  again  as  at  present.  And  in  such  a 
state  of  things,  every  animal  w^ould  move  about  as  if 
loaded  with  another  of  equal  weight  with  itself  The 
operations  of  life  would  become  impracticable,  men 
would  be  barely  able  to  crawl  about,  and  their  strength 
w^ould  be  exhausted  in  bearing  their  own  weight. 
The  horse  would  be  deprived  of  his  power  to  labor, 
and  of  his  speed  to  travel.  The  dog  would  lose  his 
fleetness,  the  cat  her  elasticity  and  spring,  and  the 
bird  its  ability  to  glide  through  the  air.  Wheat  and 
other  grains  would  bend  and  break  the  straw,  and  be 
lost   on  the   ground.     Dwellings  would    fall   by  their 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  285 

own  ■woic'lit.  Rain  and  hail  would  beat  down  with 
increased  force,  and  floods  would  rush  with  irresistible 
impetuosity.  Winds  would  move  with  destructive 
power,  and  in  stormy  weather,  neither  house  nor  tree 
could  resist  their  violence.  In  short,  the  whole  course 
of  nature  would  be  overturned,  all  human  labor  and 
enterprise  would  be  arrested,  and  all  business  brought 
to  an  eternal  close. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  we  suppose  gravitation  to  be 
diminished — let  us  imagine  to  one-lialf  its  present 
force;  and  consequences  equally  disastrous  would  re- 
sult. Everything  in  this  case  would  be  half  its  present 
weight.  The  air  would  be  two-fold  lighter,  and  so 
become  too  rarified  to  sustain  life.  The  sap  would 
ascend  with  unnatural  rapidity,  and  overload  the 
leaves,  and  thus  produce  disorder  and  death  through- 
out the  vegetable  world.  Houses  would  rest  so  lightly 
on  their  foundations  as  to  be  turned  over  by  every 
gust  of  wind  like  empty  boxes.  Things  would  hardly 
remain  where  we  placed  them,  but  would  slide  hither 
and  thither  with  the  slightest  touch.  Men  and  ani- 
mals would  move  about  with  the  unsteadiness  of  ships 
without  ballast,  and  breathe  with  the  distress  exj^eri- 
enced  by  travellers  on  the  summits  of  the  Andes. 
How  different  from  either  of  these  suppositions  is  the 
actual  state  of  things,  where  we  behold  every  thing 
throughout  the  field  of  nature,  in  due  and  suitable 
proportion,  every  thing  adjusted  and  balanced  to 
accomplish  its  purpose  with  ease  and  certainty;    and 


286  THE    FOURTH   DAY, 

man  and  beast  and  bird  adapted  in  the  strength  of 
their  muscles  and  organs  to  every  element  about  them, 
and  all  resulting  in  a  world  of  pleasing  activity  and 
universal  harmony ! 

We  have  now  seen  the  most  marked  evidences  of 
designing  wisdom  in  the  creation  of  the  planet  upon 
'which  we  dwell — in  the  uniformity  and  perfection  of 
its  movements — in  the  adjustment  of  its  annual  and 
diurnal  revokitions  to  the  constitution  of  plants  and 
animals — in  the  pleasing  succession  of  seasons,  and  the 
variation  of  days  and  nights — in  the  distance  at  which 
it  has  been  set  to  revolve  around  the  sun,  so  as  to 
measure  for  us  the  right  degree  of  light  and  heat — and 
in  its  mass  and  dimensions  graduating  its  attractive 
force  to  our  strength  and  convenience.  Who  that 
intelligently  views  and  duly  weighs  all  these  things, 
but  must  confess  that  the  world  we  live  in  is  the 
production  of  infinite  Wisdom,  Power  and  Goodness? 
"  Thou,  Lord,  in  the  beginning  didst  lay  the  founda- 
tions of  the  earth ;  and  the  heavens  are  the  work  of 
thy  hands.  Thou  hast  made  the  beast  of  the  field, 
and  the  fowls  of  the  air,  and  every  thing  that  creepeth 
upon  the  earth." 

Leaving  our  own  globe  for  the  present,  and  continu- 
ing our  outward  progress  from  the  sun,  we  next  alight 
upon  ruddy  Mars.  This  planet,  although  at  its 
nearest  approach  to  the  earth,  50,000,000  miles  distant, 
yet  is  more  favorable  for  observation  than  any  of  the 
others;  and  we  are,  therefore,  better  acquainted  with 


THE    FOURTH  DAY.  287 

its  physical  pGCuliiiritics.  In  very  many  particulars, 
it  bears  a  striking  resemblance  to  the  globe  upon 
which  we  live.  Its  mean  distance  from  the  sun  is 
145,000,000  of  miles;  its  orbit  is  quite  elliptical,  in 
which  it  moves  at  the  rate  of  54,000  miles  per  hour, 
and  completes  its  revolution  in  087  days;  consequently 
its  year  and  its  seasons  are  nearly  twice  the  length  of 
ours.  The  jDcriod  of  its  diurnal  rotation  is  24  hrs. 
and  37  min. ;  its  axis,  like  the  earth's,  is  inclined ;  hence 
it  has  days  and  nights  of  variable  length,  together  with 
a  diversity  of  seasons  similar  to  what  we  enjoy.  Its 
diameter  is  4,100  miles.  Both  in  bulk  and  weight,  it 
is  about  one-seventh  those  of  the  earth.  Its  light  and 
heat  from  the  sun  are  about  one-half  of  ours.  It  is 
encompassed  by  a  dense  atmosphere,  that  often  abounds 
with  clouds  exhibiting  all  the  various  tints  and  shades 
of  our  own  skies. 

In  its  surface  arrangements,  also,  this  planet  presents 
a  marked  similarity  to  the  earth.  In  Mars,  says  Sir 
John  Ilerschell,  we  frequently  discern  with  perfect 
distinctness  the  outlines  of  what  may  be  continents 
and  seas.  The  land  is  of  a  ruddy  color,  while  the 
waters  appear  greenish ;  both  these,  with  their  gulfs 
and  promontories  and  islands,  when  its  atmosphere  is 
clear  of  clouds,  are  brought  successively  into  view  so 
plainly  by  the  rotation  of  the  planet,  that  it  has  been 
found  possible  to  construct  a  chart  of  its  surface.  The 
shores  are  observed  to  be  remarkably  sinuous  in  their 
course,  so  that  the  indentation  of  the  coasts  by  bajs 


288  THE    FOURTH  DAY. 

and  creeks  is  very  picturesque.     As  this  planet  has  no 
moon,  its  oceans  probably  are  nearly  tideless.     Though 
no  elevated  mountain  ranges  have  been  discovered,  yet 
the  land  is  sufficiently  mottled  with  shaded  spots,  to 
indicate  an  agreeable  undulation  and  diversity  of  sur- 
face.     Unlike   our    globe,    its   flice   is   pretty   nearly 
equally  divided  between  land  and  water.     Its  heavy 
clouds  are  sufficient  evidences  of  the  formation  and  fall 
of  rain  to  refresh  its  valleys  and  plains ;  while  the  pure 
white  expanse  which  has  been  observed   around  the 
poles,  offijrs  a  high  probability  that  those  regions  are 
mantled  with   snow.     These  white  patches  gradually 
disappear  as  they  become  exposed  to  the  returning  sun 
of    summer,    and    are   greatest   in   extent   when  just 
emerging  from  the  long  night  of  their  polar  winter. 
These  changes  of  appearance  have  long  been  observed 
to  return  as  regularly  as  the  seasons.     Owing  to  the 
great  eccentricity  of  this  planet,  being  at  one  point  of 
its  orbit  27,000,000  of  miles  nearer  to  the  sun  than  at 
the  opposite  point,  the  summers  are  hotter  and  the 
winters  are  colder  in  its  southern  hemisphere  than  in 
its  northern.     And  this  is  confirmed  by  observation; 
for  while    the  northern  expanse  of  snow  varies  but 
slightly  in  dimensions,  the  southern  is  of  great  size  in 
the   winter,    and    almost   vanishes    in    the    summer. 
Thus,  then.  Mars  has  its  sea  and  land,  its  atmosphere 
and  changes  of  weather,  its  snows  and  rains  and  winds, 
its  cloudy  days  and  bright  and  sunny  skies;   and,  if 
not  its  seed-time  and  harvest,  it  has  at  least  its  spring 


THE    FOURTH   DAY.  289 

and  summer,  autumn  ami  winter,  with  all  their 
pleasant  vicissitudes,  like  the  planet  upon  which  our 
own  lot  has  heen  cast. 

Pursuing  our  outward  course  through  the  system, 
we  next  encounter  a  group  of  small  planets,  called 
Asteroids,  numbering  about  one  hundred.  All  these 
revolve  at  difterent  distances  and  in  different  periods, 
between  the  orbits  of  Mars  and  Jupiter.  The  diameter 
of  the  largest  is  only  a  little  over  2,000  miles;  and 
from  this  they  descend  to  mere  globules  of  fifty  or  forty 
miles  in  diameter.  A  man  placed  on  one  of  these 
small  worlds  would  spring  with  ease  sixty  or  seventy 
feet  high,  and  sustain  no  greater  shock  in  his  descent 
than  he  does  on  the  earth  from  leaping  a  yard.  On 
account  of  their  diminutive  sizes,  but  little  is  known  of 
them. 

Taking  our  leave  with  this  brief  and  imperfect  ac- 
quaintance with  the  planetoidal  family,  we  have  now. 
after  leaving  the  last  of  them,  to  travel  the  mighty 
interval  of  170,000,000  of  miles,  to  reach  the  next 
great  orb  in  the  system,  which  is  Jupiter.  This  mag- 
nificent planet,  attended  by  four  satellites,  sweeps 
round  the  sun  at  the  distance  of  495,000.000  of  miles, 
moving  at  the  rate  of  29,000  miles  per  hour,  and  ac- 
complishing its  revolution  in  4,332 J  days,  a  period  of 
nearly  twelve  years.  Its  dimensions  are  upon  a  scale 
of  equal  grandeur;  its  diameter  being  not  less  than 
87,000  miles,  and  its  bulk  more  than  1,300  times  that 
of  the  earth.     It  is  compo.sed  of  lighter  materials,  how- 

19 


290  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

ever ;  but  on  account  of  its  surpassing  magnitude,  is  of 
a  weight  333  times  that  of  our  globe.  This  is  the 
largest  body  connected  with  the  pLanetary  system,  the 
sun  only  excepted.  Wlien  nearest  the  earth  it  is 
400,000,000  of  miles  distant  from  us ;  yet,  after  Venus, 
it  is  the  most  brilliant  star  in  the  heavens.  This 
stupendous  sphere  rotates  upon  its  axis,  which  is 
very  nearly  perpendicular,  in  9  hrs.  and  56  niin. ; 
thus  carrying  round  whatever  beings  or  objects  may 
be  on  its  equator,  at  the  rate  of  28,000  miles  an 
hour,  or  twenty-seven  times  more  rapidly  than  are 
those  on  the  equator  of  the  earth.  Hence,  Jupiter  has 
a  rapid  alternation  of  days  and  nights,  varying  but  lit- 
tle if  any  in  length ;  and  a  slow  round  of  seasons,  each 
season  nearly  three  years  long,  and  varying  as  little  in 
their  temperature. 

Such  is  the  distance  of  this  planet  from  us  that  noth- 
ing like  mountains  or  the  outlines  of  continents  and 
oceans  have  been  discovered  in  it.  Its  whole  disk, 
however,  is  traversed  by  light  and  dark  belts,  running 
nearly  parallel  to  one  another  and  to  its  equator, 
though  they  have  often  been  known  to  change  both 
their  form  and  number.  These  are  regarded  by 
astronomers  as  lines  of  bright  clouds  alternating  with 
darker  belts  of  the  planet's  surface,  as  seen  between 
them,  and  having  their  direction  determined  b}'  cur- 
rents analogous  to  our  trade  winds,  but  of  a  much  more 
steady  and  decided  character,  in  consequence  of  the 
great  rotary  velocity.     But  the  existence  of  clouds  im- 


THE    FOURTH    DAY.  291 

plies  and  proves  several  other  important  facts — that 
there  is  an  atmosphere  in  which  tliey  float,  that  there 
is  water  from  which  they  arise,  that  there  is  heat  by 
which  that  water  is  evaporated,  and  rain  or  snow  into 
which  they  condense.  The  apparent  diameter  of  the 
sun  from  Jupiter  is  not  more  than  one-fifth  what  it  is 
to  us ;  consequently  the  light  and  heat  it  derives  from 
him  are  only  about  one-twenty-fifth  of  what  we  receive; 
but  this  deficiency  of  light  is  made  up  in  part  by  the 
reflection  of  its  four  moons,  and  that  of  heat  may  be  by 
the  higher  temperature  of  its  own  body. 

While  to  us  Jupiter  is  the  brightest,  save  one  of  all 
the  planets,  our  world  is  altogether  invisible  to  Jupiter. 
An  observer  on  that  planet,  with  eyes  such  as  we  have, 
would  have  no  suspicion  that  such  a  globe  as  the  earth- 
was  in  existence ;  its  fancied  greatness  and  proud  in- 
habitants all  would  be  utterly  unnoticed,  and  altogether 
unknown  to  him.  And  from  the  facts  now  stated,  it 
will  appear  that  the  arrangements  of  this  planet,  and 
the  condition  of  things  upon  its  surface  must  be  very 
different  from  what  obtains  in  our  world.  The 
amount  of  gravitation,  as  alread}^  stated,  being  two  and 
a  half  times  that  of  the  earth,  its  inhabitants  rational 
and  irrational  (if  any  it  has),  if  constituted  like  those 
of  our  globe,  in  order  to  move  and  act  with  ease,  must 
possess  two  and  a  half  times  their  strength.  Our 
armour-clad  Goliath  there  would  be  barely  able,  like  a 
tortoise,  to  crawl  beneath  his  shield.  A  man  sixty 
years  old,  and  weighing  one  hundred  and  sixty  pounds, 


292  THE   FOURTH  DAY. 

if  transported  to  the  surface  of  Jupiter,  would  find  him- 
self an  infant  of  five  summers,  yet  weighing  four  hun- 
dred pounds,  but  not  possessing  the  strength  necessary 
to  take  his  first  tottering  step.  So  diverse  are  the 
works  of  God. 

Jupiter  has  been  deemed  worthy  the  attendance  of  no 
less  than  four  moons,  which  constantly  accompany  and 
revolve  about  it;  thus  forming  a  miniature  system, 
entirely  analogous  to  the  great  system  of  the  sun,  and 
moving  in  the  same  direction,  and  obeying  the  same 
law  of  gravitation.  These  satellites  of  different  dimen- 
sions, and  revolving  at  different  distances  and  veloci- 
ties, exhibit  many  interesting  and  sublime  phenomena 
to  its  inhabitants,  as  they  perform  their  natural  courses 
through  the  firmament.  Sometimes  they  are  seen 
eclipsing  the  sun,  at  other  times  the  stars,  and  occa- 
sionally eclipsing  one  another.  Sometimes  two,  three, 
and  even  all  the  four  are  seen  shining  in  the  heavens 
in  one  bright  assemblage ;  one,  perhaps,  in  the  form  of 
a  crescent,  one  with  a  gibbous  phase,  one  like  a  half- 
moon,  and  the  other  with  a  full  enlightened  hemisphere; 
one  moving  comparatively  slowly,  and  another  rushing 
rapidly  through  the  skies,  and  leaving  all  the  others 
behind  it ;  one  under  a  total  eclipse,  another  entering 
into  it,  and  a  third  emerging  from  it. 

In  Jupiter  and  its  attendant  satellites,  therefore,  we 
have  a  most  sublime  and  impressive  display  of  creative 
skill  and  might.  Could  Ave  enlarge  our  minds  and 
quicken  our  imagination  so  as  to  attain  anything  like 


THE  FOUHTII  DAY.  293 

a  lively  and  adequate  conception  of  a  globe  1,300  times 
larger  than  the  earth,  rotating  upon  its  axis  with  fear- 
ful velocity,  and  flying  onward  through  the  heavens  at 
the  rate  of  29,000  miles  per  hour,  and  carrying  along 
with  it  four  large  revolving  moons  in  its  swift  career — 
we  should  have  before  us  a  scene  of  overwhelming;: 
grandeur,  and  such  as  could  not  fail  to  call  forth  the 
adoring  exclamation,  "  The  Lord  God  onmipotent 
reigneth !" 

Quitting  the  orbit  of  Jupiter,  and  pursuing  our  out- 
ward bound  voyage  through  space,  after  crossing  the 
stupendous  interval  of  410,000,000  of  miles,  we  reach 
the  majestic  orb  of  SATURN.  This  planet  together  with 
its  rings  and  satellites,  presents  the  most  wonderful  and 
magnificent  spectacle  in  the  whole  solar  system.  In 
magnitude  it  is  a  1,000  times  that  of  the  earth,  its 
diameter  being  79,000  miles.  Its  distance  from  the 
sun  is  nearly  double  that  of  Jupiter,  906,000,000  of 
miles ;  and  it  occupies  nearly  thirty  years  in  completing 
its  revolution,  moving  at  the  rate  of  22,000  miles  per 
hour.  Its  orbit  measures  5,700,000,000  of  miles,  a 
distance  that  a  railroad  train  running  at  the  speed  of 
thirty  miles  per  hour  would  not  travel  in  less  than 
21,000  years ! 

Saturn  rotates  upon  its  axis,  which  is  nearly  perpen- 
dicular, in  the  space  of  10  hrs.  and  10  min. ;  its  days  and 
nights  therefore,  are  invariable,  and  not  quite  half  as 
long  as  ours.  Its  light  and  heat  from  tlie  sun  are  only 
one-ninetieth  of  ours.     But  its  condition  on  this  ac- 


294  THE    FOURTH   DAY. 

count  is  not  so  dismal  or  desolate  as  would  appear  at 
first  sight.  The  light  of  our  full  moon  is  estimated  by 
Bouguer  to  be  one-three-hundred-thousandth  part  that 
of  the  sun,  and  that  of  Saturn  is  one-ninetieth  part 
of  this ;  the  degree  of  light  upon  its  surface,  therefore, 
is  equal  to  more  than  3,000  full  moons,  which  assuredly 
must  create  a  day  of  fair  brightness,  and  sufficient  for 
the  common  duties  of  life.  In  density  this  planet  is 
below  all  the  others,  being  only  one-ninth  that  of  the 
earth ;  in  other  words,  the  weight  of  its  materials  is  but 
little  more  than  that  of  cork ;  but  on  account  of  its  im- 
mense size,  its  entire  weight  is  equal  to  one  hundred 
and  twenty  times  the  weight  of  our  globe ;  and  the 
force  of  gravitation  on  its  surface  is  somewhat  greater 
than  that  to  which  we  are  subject.  Its  surface,  like 
that  of  Jupiter,  is  traversed  by  cloudy  belts,  which 
indicate  the  existence  of  both  water  and  atmosphere. 

To  Saturn  there  belongs  an  illuminating  appendage 
which  no  other  planet  possesses.  It  is  surrounded  by 
three  broad,  flat,  and  extremely  thin  concentric  rings, 
all  lying  in  the  same  plane,  and  separated  by  compara- 
tively narrow  intervals.  Galileo  was  the  first  of  mor- 
tals that  caught  a  glimpse  of  these  wonderful  structures. 
The  exterior  diameter  of  the  outer  ring  is  177,000 
miles;  and  its  width  21,000  miles.  Between  this  and 
the  interior  bright  ring  there  is  a  space  of  1,790  miles; 
the  width  of  this  is  little  more  than  34,000  miles,  and 
its  distance  from  the  surface  of  the  planet  is  20,000 
miles.     The  thickness  of  the  rings,  according  to  Her- 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  295 

schell,  cannot  exceed  250  miles,  and  who  also  gives 
it  as  his  opinion  tliat  they  are  of  a  vajDorous  con- 
stitution; they  are,  however,  of  sufficient  density  to 
throw  a  dark  shadow  on  the  body  of  the  planet, 
and  thus  occasion  a  total  eclipse  of  the  sun  to  those 
parts  for  a  period  of  nearly  fifteen  years  together. 
The  rings  revolve  about  the  planet  in  nearly  the  same 
time  that  the  planet  rotates  upon  its  axis.  Nothing 
can  exceed  the  marvellous  wisdom,  and  mathematical 
nicety  of  adjustment  displayed  in  all  the  parts  and  dis- 
tances, motions  and  eccentricities  of  these  rings,  so  as 
to  preserve  them,  on  the  one  hand,  from  flying  off  from 
the  planet  in  its  swift  career,  and  on  the  other,  from 
falling  down  on  its  surface,  and  producing  a  derange- 
ment of  the  whole  fabric.  Here  is  machinery  in  which 
the  calculations  of  the  Great  Architect  are  as  manifest 
as  if  the}^  had  been  written  out  in  algebraic  formulae 
upon  its  splendid  arches. 

This  planet  is  also  furnished  with  no  less  than  eight 
large  moons ;  these  revolve  in  nearly  the  same  plane, 
and  in  the  same  direction  as  the  rings.  From  the 
outer  ring  to  the  orbit  of  the  first  is  a  distance  of  only 
18,000  miles.  These  satellites  revolve,  like  those  of 
Jupiter,  at  various  distances  and  in  different  periods ; 
and  like  them  also  they  undergo  frequent  eclipses,  and 
pass  through  the  same  round  of  phases. 

From  the  foregoing  facts  it  is  obvious  that  the 
nocturnal  firmament  of  Saturn  exhibits  a  scene  of 
grandeur  beyond  that  of  any  planet  in  the  system. 


296  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

Besides  the  innumerable  hosts  of  stars  of  various  mag- 
nitude and  brilHancy,  there  are  its  eight  magnificent 
satellites,  some  rising  and  some  setting,  some  in  slender 
crescents  and  some  full-orbed ;  together  with  the  lumin- 
ous arches  towering  one  above  another,  and  stretching 
from  one  horizon  to  another — all  this  must  present  a 
scene  of  celestial  grandeur  surpassing  all  imagination. 
Saturn  with  its  satellites  and  rings,  doubtless,  is  one  of 
the  most  signal,  most  marvellous,  and  most  direct  and 
clear  indications  of  the  Divine  Hand,  that  the  whole 
visible  creation  presents.  It  is  one  of  the  most  start- 
ling exhibitions  of  the  Almighty's  power  and  un- 
searchable wisdom  that  man  has  been  permitted  to 
contemplate.  When  the  piercing  telescope  lifts  the 
veil  of  distance,  and  reveals  this  glorious  mystery,  it 
creates  a  thrill  of  wonder,  and  awakens  transports  of 
solemn  joy  within  the  soul,  which  no  words  can  utter 
or  describe. 

Vast  is  the  distance  we  have  already  travelled  from 
the  great  central  sun,  but  now  we  have  again  to  plunge 
forward  into  the  dim  immensity,  and  double  all  this, 
and  at  the  remoteness  of  1,820,000,000  of  miles  from 
the  sun,  we  find  the  mysterious  Uranus,  a  planet 
whose  diameter  is  not  less  than  35,000  miles,  and  bulk 
eighty-two  times  that  of  our  own  globe,  moving  at  the 
rate  of  15,000  miles  per  hour.  This  planet  occupies  a 
period  of  eighty-four  years  in  completing  its  revolution 
round  the  sun.  Consequently  twenty-two  of  its  years 
would  carry  us  back  to  the  time  when  the  Son  of  God 


THE   FOURTH   DAY.  297 

was  on  his  errand  of  mercy  on  our  own  planet.  The 
time  of  its  rotation  upon  its  axis  is  unknown.  Through 
the  most  powerful  telescopes  nothing  is  seen  of  it  but  a 
small  round  uniformlv^  illuminated  disk,  without  rinjrs, 
belts  or  spots.  The  quantity  of  light  it  receives  from 
the  sun  is  3G0  times  less  than  what  the  earth  re- 
ceives ;  but  according  to  Bouguer's  estimate,  before 
referred  to,  this  is  equivalent  to  more  than  800  full 
moons ;  and  to  eyes  of  higher  sensibility,  and  con- 
structed to  take  in  ten  or  twenty  times  the  amount  of 
light  that  ours  are  capable  of,  this  may  be  quite 
sufficient  to  make  a  bright  and  clear  da^^ 

Uranus  is  attended  by  six  satellites.  The  orbits  of 
these  exhiljit  the  most  remarkable  peculiarities.  Con- 
trary to  the  unbroken  analogy  of  the  whole  planetary 
system,  the  planes  of  their  orbits  are  nearly  perpendicu- 
lar to  the  ecliptic,  and  in  these  orbits  their  motions  are 
retrograde ;  that  is,  instead  of  advancing  from  west  to 
east  around  their  primary,  as  is  the  case  with  every 
other  planet  and  satellite,  they  move  in  the  opposite 
direction.  Thus  far,  this  is  a  profound  mystery  to  all 
the  science  of  man.  It  may  serve,  however,  to  teach 
us  that  God  is  not  limited  either  in  the  magnitude  or 
the  manner  of  his  operations,  and  to  indicate  that  we 
may  look  for  endless  diversity  in  all  the  worlds  his 
hands  have  made. 

Once  more  we  renew  and  repeat  our  outward  flight, 
and  after  crossing  the  mighty  chasm  of  1,000,000,000 
of  miles  we  reach   Neptune,  the  hist  and  the  farthest 


298  THE    FOURTH   DAY. 

(as  far  as  known)  of  the  planetary  worlds.  The  man- 
ner in  which  this  planet  was  discovered  was  remarka- 
ble. While  as  yet  this  remote  sphere  had  never  been 
beheld  by  mortal  eye ;  while  its  distance,  its  position, 
its  mass,  and  the  form  of  its  orbit,  were  all  unknown ; 
by  the  force  and  perspicacity  of  human  intellect,  from 
its  observed  effects,  (a  mere  trembling  disturbance,) 
upon  Uranus,  more  than  1,000,000,000  of  miles  dis- 
tant, all  these  were  so  accurately  calculated  as  to  guide 
the  observer  to  the  very  point  of  the  heavens  where  it 
was  first  seen !  This  fact  stands  alone  in  the  annals 
of  science,  and  constitutes  a  triumph  of  the  human 
mind,  that  more  than  indicates  its  Divine  Paternity 
and  immortal  destiny. 

Our  acquaintance  with  this  planet  has  been  so  brief, 
its  distance  so  great,  and  its  situation  in  the  ecliptic  so 
little  favorable  for  seeing  it  with  distinctness,  that  noth- 
ing very  positive  can  be  stated  as  to  its  physical 
appearance.  It  was  at  first  supposed  to  have  a  ring ; 
this,  however,  has  not  been  verified ;  but  it  is  attended 
by  at  least  one  satellite.  Its  diameter  is  estimated  at 
39,800  miles.  Its  distance  from  the  sun  is  2,862,000, 
000  of  miles;  and  the  time  of  its  revolution  around 
him  not  less  than  one  hundred  and  sixty-four  years. 
"  The  child,  whose  fresh  dewy  orbs  to-day  look  up 
wonderingly  at  the  spangled  vault  where  Neptune 
hides  itself,  will  have  grown  up,  fought  life's  battle, 
grown  old,  died,  and  lain  in  his  grave  a  hundred  years, 
by  the  time  that  frontier  planet  is  able  to  get  around 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  299 

again  to  its  present  place  in  the  sky !  According  to 
the  Neptunian  calender,  it  is  only  thirty-six  years  since 
the  creation  of  Adam !"     Ecce  Coelum. 

We  have  now  reached  the  outermost  bounds  of  the 
great  Solar  System ;  and  while  we  pause  here  for  a 
moment,  looking  back  over  the  vast  and  numerous  orbs 
which  we  have  in  imagination  successively  visited,  the 
question  springs  up  spontaneously  in  the  mind,  For 
icJiat  End  have  these  great  globes  been  made,  and  set  in 
incessant  revolutions?  What  is  the  ultimate  purpose 
which  thej-  subserve  ?  Are  they  the  abodes  of  intelli- 
gent and  moral  beings  like  ourselves  ?  Have  we  any 
reasonable  grounds  to  think  that  they  are  inhabited  by 
creatures  that  know,  and  serve,  and  worship  the  Great 
and  Glorious  Creator  of  all  ? 

To  this  question  some  have  been  led  to  return  a 
negative  answer.  They  see,  or  think  they  see, 
insuperable  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  planets  being 
inhabited,  arising  in  the  case  of  some  of  them  from 
their  being  so  near  the  sun,  and  thus  subject  to  too 
great  a  degree  of  light  and  heat ;  and  in  that  of  others 
from  their  being  too  far  from  him,  and  so  receiving  too 
little  light  and  heat,  to  admit  of  their  being  the  abode 
of  sentient  and  intelligent  beings;  others  of  them, 
again,  they  look  upon  as  being  too  small  and  insignifi- 
cant for  this  end ;  while  others  still  appear  too  large, 
their  attraction  of  gravitation,  they  say,  being  such  as 
would  tie  down,  if  not  crush,  all  organized  bodies. 
But  it  is  obvious  that  the  reasonings  of  such,  and  the 


300  THE   FOURTH  DAY. 

conclusions  to  wliicli  they  lead,  are  based  upon  the 
supposition,  that  the  planets,  if  inhabited  at  all,  must 
be  occupied  by  such  creatures  as  ourselves.  Now,  if 
the  foregoing  difficulties,  or  the  arguments  derived  from 
them,  establish  anything,  they  simply  prove  that  the 
planetary  worlds  cannot  be  inhabited  by  beings  consti- 
tuted as  men  are.  But  if  it  were  demonstrated  that 
man  could  not  live  in  Mercury,  Jupiter,  or  Neptune, 
that  would  be  no  proof  that  these  globes  must  be 
uninhabited.  They  may  be  the  homes  of  creatures  of 
other  and  different  constitutions,  every  way  wisely 
and  happily  adapted  to  their  several  physical  peculiar- 
ities. It  is  not  to  be  supposed,  indeed,  that  there  are 
men  in  the  planets ;  but  we  may  reasonably  entertain 
the  opinion  that  each  planet  has  its  own  wondrous 
catalogue  of  living  tenants,  all  adapted  to  its  own 
particular  construction  and  mass  and  j^osition.  This 
j)lan  of  variety  and  adaptation  we  know  the  Creator 
has  adopted  and  pursued  in  the  arrangements  of  our 
own  planet.  We  behold  not  only  man  and  the  higher 
animals  made  for  the  fairer  portions  of  its  surface,  but 
we  see  the  mole  and  the  beetle  fashioned  to  inhabit  the 
mouldering  soil ;  the  whale  and  the  clio  to  choose  the 
half-frozen  depths  of  the  polar  seas  as  their  most 
congenial  home ;  the  camel  and  the  dromedary  to 
subsist  amid  the  arid  sands  of  the  Sahara ;  the  tortuous 
serpent  and  the  four-handed  monkey  to  dwell  in  the 
heated  recesses  of  the  tropical  forests.  In  a  word, 
there  is  not  a  corner  of  the  earth,  nor  a  cavern  of  the 


THE   FOURTH  DAY.  301 

sea,  but  what  has  its  occupants.  Even  a  droj)  from 
the  green  i)uddle  is  the  home  of  milHons  of  living 
creatures.  The  air  we  breathe  is  full  of  invisible  life. 
Distilled  water  acting  on  calcined  flint  under  a  glass 
bell,  develops  organic  life.  Even  corrosive  poisons, 
strong  acids,  teem  with  the  living.  We  are,  therefore, 
not  only  warranted,  but  directed  to  look  for  life,  and 
an  adaptation  of  life  to  its  circumstances,  in  every  part 
and  province  of  creation.  Matter,  as  far  as  we  can 
trace  the  footsteps  of  the  Creator,  appears  to  have  been 
produced  for  the  purposes  of  life  and  intelligence. 
And  we  may  well  and  reasonably  believe,  that  it  is  as 
easy  for  God  to  create  a  population  for  the  planets  as 
to  create  the  planets  themselves;  as  easy  to  supply 
Jupiter  with  tenants,  as  the  earth  with  its  race  of  men ; 
as  easy  to  devise  the  organization  of  an  inhabitant  for 
Uranus,  as  that  of  fishes  to  occupy  the  ocean ;  as  easy 
to  animate  the  dust  of  Neptune,  as  to  make  that  dust 
itself  "  With  God  all  things  are  possible."  Any 
arguments,  therefore,  against  the  planets  being  inhab- 
ited, drawn  from  the  apparent  difference  or  difficulty  in 
their  situation,  or  constitution,  can  have  but  little 
force  or  weight. 

But  if  nothing  can  be  said  in  disproof  of  planet 
populations,  what,  it  may  be  asked,  can  be  said  in 
support  of  the  supposition?  We  have,  indeed,  no 
direct  evidence,  no  positive  proof  to  offer;  that  is,  no 
living  inhabitant  has  ever  been  detected  in  any  of  the 
planets;   nor  have  any  traces  of  art  or  industry,  of 


302  THE   FOURTH  DAY. 

cultivation  or  building,  been  discovered  on  their  sur- 
faces. What  evidence  we  have  is  altogether  from 
analogies;  but  then  these  analogies  are  so  many,  so 
close,  and  so  striking,  that  when  taken  together  they 
amount  to  a  strong  probability,  if  not  to  conclusive 
proof,  that  the  other  planets  subserve  the  same  purpose 
as  our  own.  These  analogies  have,  for  the  most  part, 
been  pointed  out  in  the  course  of  the  preceding 
descriptions ;  but  to  realize  their  full  weight  and  force, 
it  may  be  well  to  collect  them  into  one  point  of  view. 

1.  To  the  earth  God  has  given  "two  great  lights;" 
and  for  the  planets  He  has  done  the  same  thing.  To 
all  of  them  He  has  given  the  sun  to  rule  the  day ;  and 
to  many  of  them  moons  to  rule  the  night.  2.  The 
earth  perpetually  travels  round  the  sun,  and  the  time 
occupied  in  accomplishing  a  complete  circuit  constitutes 
its  year :  the  planets  revolve  around  him  in  a  similar 
manner,  and  thus  measure  out  their  respective  years. 
3.  The  earth  turns  round  upon  itself,  thus  with  each 
rotation  presenting  every  part  of  its  circumference  to 
the  light  and  heat  of  the  sun :  the  planets  are  found  to 
do  the  same,  and  to  enjoy  a  similar  alternation  of  light 
and  darkness.  4.  The  earth  revolves  in  an  elliptical 
orbit,  and  upon  an  inclined  axis;  an  arrangement 
which  gives  it  a  variety  of  climates,  and  a  regular 
succession  of  seasons :  the  planets  revolve  in  similar 
orbits,  and  upon  axis  similarly  inclined,  which  secures 
to  them  a  like  difference  of  climates,  and  the  same 
agreeable   vicissitudes   of  seasons.      5.    The   earth   is 


THE    FOURTH   DAY.  303 

encomp.assed  by  an  atmosphere  which  refracts  the  hght 
and  retains  the  heat  of  the  sun :  the  phanets  likewise 
have  their  atmospheres,  creating  for  them  morning  and 
evening  twilight,  and  producing  currents  or  winds  that 
sweep  over  their  surfaces.  G.  The  atmosphere  of  the 
earth  is  charged  more  or  less  with  clouds,  which  often 
assume  every  shade  of  color,  change  their  forms  and 
positions,  and  send  down  refreshing  showers :  the 
atmospheres  of  the  planets  also  have  their  shifting 
clouds  of  various  shades  and  tints,  and  which  may 
minister  to  them,  as  ours  to  us,  "all  the  bloom  and 
luxuriance  of  vegetation."  7.  The  cloudy  vapors  of 
the  earth  around  its  poles  in  winter  condense  and  fall 
in  the  form  of  snow  :  a  similar  fleecy  mantle  has  been 
observed  to  cover  the  polar  regions  of  one  of  the 
planets,  at  least,  during  winter,  and  to  vanish  on  the 
return  of  summer.  8.  The  surface  of  the  earth  is 
made  up  of  land  and  water :  and  the  planets  present 
appearances  strongly  indicative  of  the  existence  of 
oceans  and  continents,  bays  and  promontories,  similar 
to  our  own.  9.  The  land  portion  of  the  earth  is  ridged 
with  mountains  and  scooped  with  valleys  :  the  surfaces 
of  the  planets  distinctly  exhibit  similar  inequalities  of 
surface.  10.  Recent  Spectrum  Analysis  has  revealed 
the  fact  that  the  planets  contain  various  substances 
that  are  familiar  here  upon  the  earth.  11.  In  short, 
the  planets  seem  to  possess  all  the  elements  and 
arrangements  which  constitute  our  own  a  habitable 
globe. 


304  THE    FOURTH   DAY. 

Now,  who  can  contemplate  all  these  striking  an- 
alogies— all  these  close  resemblances  in  so  many 
particulars  to  the  planet  we  inhabit,  and  not  be 
impressed  with  the  high  probability,  not  to  say  cer- 
tainty, that  those  other  planetary  orbs,  which  nightly 
roll  over  our  heads,  must  also  be  so  many  spacious 
worlds;  that,  like  our  own,  they  teem  with  life  and 
intelligence  ?  With  such  an  assemblage  of  circumstan- 
tial evidence  before  us,  can  it  in  reason  be  supposed 
that  worlds  so  vast,  so  magnificent,  so  capable  of 
constituting  the  home  and  happiness  of  life  and  intelli- 
gence, should  be  vacant  balls,  mere  lumps  of  dead 
matter,  unmeaning  and  unenjoyed  solitudes,  shining 
fruitlessly  in  the  midst  of  heaven  ?  If  not  a  foot  of 
our  planet  has  been  left  without  its  living  inhabitants, 
can  we  believe  that  whole  globes,  compared  with  some 
of  which  our  own  sinks  into  insignificance,  have  been 
left  tenantless  and  waste?  Has  not  matter  been 
created  in  subserviency  to  life  and  mind  ?  Why 
should  not  the  other  planets  have  been  created  for 
ends  as  great  and  noble  as  that  upon  which  we  dwell  ? 
Is  it  not  consonant  with  reason  ?  Is  it  not  in  harmony 
with  analogy,  and  all  that  w^e  know  of  the  wisdom  and 
goodness  of  the  Great  Creator,  to  believe  that  these 
stately  mansions  have  their  sentient  and  intelligent 
inhabitants,  to  travel  and  contemplate  their  transcen- 
dent scenes  of  grandeur;  that  their  plains,  and  valleys, 
und  mountain  sides  teem  with  unnumbered  millions  of 
happy  living  beings,  that  offer  up  their  daily  prayers 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  fj()5 

and  adorations  to  the  same  Father  and  God  whom  we 
worship  and  serve  ?     Yes  ; 

"  Each  of  those  stars  is  a  religious  house  ; 
I  saw  their  altars  smoke,  their  incense  rise, 
And  heard  hosannas  ring  through  every  sphere." 

— Night  Tlioughts. 

REFLECTIONS. 

The  survey  now  taken  of  the  planetary  worlds  may 
serve  to  teach  us  our  place  in  the  creation  of  God.  We 
sometimes  speak  of  our  world  as  being  great,  and  call 
it  the  universe,  as  if  it  constituted  the  whole  empire  of 
Jehovah.  But  how  humble  a  position  does  it  occupy, 
and  how  small  a  portion  of  that  empire  does  it  form. 
Not  to  speak  at  present  of  the  stars,  those  centres  of 
other  systems ;  and  the  nebula?,  those  assemblages  of 
suns  and  systems ;  the  earth  is  far  from  being  foremost 
in  magnitude  or  motions  among  the  globes  composing 
our  own  system.  Mercury,  Venus,  and  Mars,  are  all 
its  equals  in  splendor.  In  bulk,  Uranus  exceeds  it  80 
times,  Neptune  120  times,  Saturn  1,000  times,  Jupiter 
1,300  times,  and  the  sun  more  than  1,300,000  times. 
To  the  earth  has  been  given  the  service  of  but  one 
solitary  moon,  while  those  majestic  spheres  have  been 
deemed  worthy  the  attendance  of  splendid  retinues  of 
satellites.  We  rank,  indeed,  with  the  inferior  class  of 
the  orbs  constituting  the  system.  Let  us  learn  hence 
"  not  to  look  on  our  globe  as  the  universe  of  God,  but 
one  paltry  and  insignificant  part  of  it ;  that  it  is  only 
one  of  the  many  mansions  which  the  Supreme  Being 

20 


306  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

hath  created  for  the  accommodation  of  his  worshippers, 
and  only  one  of  the  many  worlds  rolling  in  that  flood 
of  light  which  the  sun  pours  around  him  beyond  the 
outer  limits  of  the  system." 

From  the  foregoing  view  of  the  great  system  to 
which  our  world  belongs,  we  may  also  learn  a  lesson 
of  personal  humility.  If  we  feel  our  inferiority  in  the 
presence  of  human  genius ;  if  we  think  our  individual 
possessions  poverty  as  compared  with  a  nation's  wealth ; 
if  we  see  our  strength  to  be  but  weakness  before  the 
thundering  avalanche;  if  we  deem  ourselves  obscure 
compared  with  him  who  occupies  a  throne  and  rules 
the  milHons  of  an  empire;  if  we  realize  our  puny 
stature  beneath  the  heights  of  Alpine  mountains — what 
manner  of  sentiments  should  possess  our  souls  in  the 
presence  of  the  Infinite  !  A  fellow-man  after  protrac- 
ted study,  much  toil,  and  many  fruitless  experiments, 
brings  forth  a  tiny  engine  that  drives  his  little  ship  or 
car  at  the  rate  of  twenty  or  thirty  miles  an  hour,  and 
we  admire  its  author,  and  ascribe  to  him  a  triumph — 
yet  what  has  he  produced  but  an  infant's  toy  beside  the 
doings  of  the  Most  High,  who  hath  formed  and  set  in 
order  the  machinery  of  the  heavens,  and  sent  forth 
from  His  hand  countless  worlds,  rolling  through  im- 
mensity at  a  speed  of  50,000  and  even  100,000  miles 
per  hour !  In  tracing  the  history  of  our  race,  we  some- 
times pause  over  the  greatness  of  those  who  contrived 
and  builded  temples,  palaces,  pyramids  and  cities — but 
how  such  ephemeron  greatness  sinks,  vanishes  from  the 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  CO 7 

view,  when  we  contemplate  the  architecture  of  creation, 
its  vastness,  its  undecaying  magnificence,  its  unfading 
glories  !  We  call  him  great  who  has  marshalled  a  few 
thousands  of  his  fellows,  and  led  them  to  slay  and 
plunder  a  few  other  thousands  more  helpless  than 
themselves,  all  but  as  a  floating  swarm  of  insects  in 
contention — but  lift  up  your  eyes,  see  OxVE  who  directeth 
all  the  starry  hosts  to  purposes  of  beneficence  and  glory, 
and  doeth  according  to  his  will  among  the  innumerable 
armies  of  the  skies !  We  look  up,  with  profound  defer- 
ence to  him  who  sways  his  sce^Dtre  over  a  few  provinces, 
an  insignificant  fraction  of  one  insignificant  globe — 
with  what  adoring  reverence  then  should  we  look  up 
to  Him,  w^ho  sitteth  upon  the  throne  of  the  universe, 
upholding  all  things  with  the  word  of  his  power,  and 
directing  the  motions  and  destinies  of  suns  and  worlds 
which  neither  man  nor  angel  can  enumerate !  There 
is  nothing  great — there  is  nothing  great,  hut  God  !  He 
only  hath  power.  He  only  hath  life  and  immortality, 
dwelling  in  light  unapproachable.  "  0  Lord,  when  I 
consider  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers,  the 
moon  and  the  stars  which  thou  hast  ordained,  what  is 
man  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him,  and  the  son  of  man 
that  thou  visitest  him  ?" 


THE    FOURTH   DAY.  309 


THE  PLANETARY  SYSTE3L 

He  calleth  them  all  by  names,  by  the  greatness  of  his  might,  for  that 
He  is  strong  inpoivei' ;  not  onefaileth. 

In  the  preceding  chapters  we  have  considered  the 
position,  the  magnitude,  the  motions  and  the  physical 
peculiarities  of  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  the  several 
planets  as  separate  bodies ;  in  this  we  propose  to  con- 
sider them  as  composing  one  harmonious  System.  And 
herein  we  shall  discover,  not  the  disconnected  and  jar- 
ring results  of  chance,  but  the  most  uniform  and  the 
most  mathematically  exact  adjustment  of  number, 
weight  and  measure  in  every  part,  exhibiting  the  most 
convincing  evidences  that  the  whole  is  the  work  of  one 
Omnipotent  and  All-comprehending  Mind. 

The  sun  is  the  centre  of  the  system — the  centre  of 
motion,  light  and  heat  to  all  the  planets  and  satellites 
composing  it.  And  around  him  all  revolve,  impelled 
by  the  same  forces,  avid  governed  hy  the  same  laws. 
1.  Every  planet  moves  under  the  antagonistic  forces  of 
gravitation  and  centrifugal  impulse.  2.  Every  planet 
revolves  in  an  elliptical  orbit.  3.  Though  both  the 
distance  and  the  velocity  of  every  planet  vary  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  its  orbit,  yet  its  radius  (vector)  sweeps 
over  equal  areas  in  equal  times.  4.  The  squares  of  the 
times  in  which  the  different  planets  revolve  around  the 
sun  are  proportional  to  the  cubes  of  their  mean  distan- 
ces from  his  centre.     5.  All  the  planets  move  in  orbits 


310  THE   FOURTH  LAY. 

that  are  in,  or  very  nearly  in  the  pL^ne  of  the  sun's 
equator.  G.  All  the  planets  revolve  around  the  sun  in 
the  same  direction.  7.  All  the  planets  rotate  upon 
their  axis  in  the  same  direction  as  does  the  sun  himself. 
— Now,  these  remarkable  uniformities  of  forces,  orbits, 
rotations,  times,  distances,  areas,  and  velocities,  consti- 
tute a  clear  and  conclusive  proof  that  this  magnificent 
system  of  worlds  had  its  origin,  not  in  blind  fortuity, 
but  in  one  Divine  Thought. 

Both  design  and  choice  are  evident  in  the  way  and 
means  adopted  to  illuminate  the  planetary  system.  It 
is  obvious  that  this  system  of  globes  might  have  existed 
in  a  condition  of  utter  darkness ;  the  planets  and  satel- 
lites might  have  revolved,  as  they  now  do,  around  a 
central  orb  that  was  perfectly  dark  and  cold ;  and  con- 
tinued their  revolutions  without  day  or  summer  from 
century  to  century.  But  in  that  case  it  would  have 
been  a  defective  and  useless  system ;  its  every  globe 
would  have  been  a  cold,  and  joyless,  and  tenantless 
desert.  How  happened  it,  then,  that  one  of  its  globes 
was  wrapped  in  a  luminous  envelope,  pouring  an  ocean 
of  light  on  every  hand  ?  And  how  happened  it  that 
that  garment  of  light  fell  upon  the  one,  the  only  one  in 
the  whole  system  of  adequate  dimensions  to  enlighten 
all  the  rest  ?  Had  either  of  the  others,  even  Jupiter 
the  largest  of  them,  been  equally  brilliant,  it  would 
have  been  but  as  a  rushlight  to  the  system,  and  even 
invisible  to  half  its  members.  And  again — How 
happened  it  that  the  one  luminous  globe  of  the  system 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  311 

fell  to  the  only  position  in  it,  namely  the  centre,  from 
\vhich  it  could  advantageously  and  adequately  send 
forth  its  beams  to  warm,  enlighten,  and  cheer  the 
whole  ?  Had  the  luminary  of  the  system,  instead  of 
being  stationary,  revolved,  for  example,  in  the  orbit  of 
Saturn,  its  light  and  heat  would  have  been  so  unequal 
on  account  of  the  varying  distances  of  the  planets,  as 
to  prove  fatal  to  every  plant  and  animal  upon  their 
surfaces  ;  the  earth,  for  instance,  would  have  been  200, 
000,000  of  miles  further  from  it  at  one  period  than  at 
another.  How  happened  it,  then,  we  ask  once  more, 
that  all  the  globes  of  the  system  are  in  rapid  revolution 
except  one,  and  that  the  one  whose  stationary  condition 
was  essential  to  the  whole  ?  Here,  then,  we  have  a 
number  and  diversity  of  distinct  circumstances,  yet 
each  so  falling  out  as  to  concur  with  the  rest  in  produc- 
ing a  most  important  and  indispensable  result,  and  that 
in  the  happiest  and  most  effectual  manner  that  can  be 
conceived.  To  what  conclusion  then  are  we  brought  ? 
That  this  vast  and  splendid  system  of  worlds  owes  its 
illumination  to  mere  accident,  or  to  design  ?  That  the 
solar  lamp  was  fashioned  and  lighted  up,  and  fixed  so 
happily  in  the  centre  of  the  temple  of  creation,  to 
reveal  its  beauties  and  wonders,  and  to  warm  and 
enliven  its  every  part,  by  simple  chance,  or  by  design- 
ing Intelligence  ?  Here  every  sane  mind  must  come  to 
one  and  the  same  conclusion. 

Design,  evincing  profound  wisdom  and  foresight,  is 
manifest  in  the  character  of  the  orhits  in  which   the 


312  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

planets  move.  The  planetary  orbits  are  all  slightly 
elliptical,  and  of  small  eccentricity.  If  the  planets  had 
been  set  in  motion  by  any  fortuitous  cause,  we  might 
reasonably  expect  to  find  them  describing  all  kinds  of 
orbits — some  circular,  some  oval,  some  in  shorter  and 
some  in  vastly  longer  ellipses ;  approaching  and  cross- 
ing one  another  at  various  angles,  and  in  many  points ; 
and  thus  move  at  constant  risk  of  collision  and  ruin. 
Or,  they  might  have  been  all  set  in  motion  in  perfectly 
circular  and  concentric  orbits ;  but  even  in  that  case, 
as  mathematicians  are  able  to  demonstrate,  their  mutual 
attractions  would  produce  perturbations  that  would  go 
on  increasing:  until  the  whole  would  be  reduced  to  dis- 
order,  and  finally  to  destruction.  Or,  once  more,  they 
might  all  have  revolved  in  long  ellipses,  and  that  with- 
out risk  of  coming  into  contact ;  but  by  such  an  arrange- 
ment they  would  have  been  at  one  period  of  their  year 
two,  three,  or  four  times  further  from  the  sun  than  at 
another,  and  have  been  thus  hurried  with  every  revolu- 
tion from  the  extreme  intensity  of  light  and  heat  to  the 
opposite  extreme  of  rigorous  cold  and  darkness,  both 
equally  fatal  to  all  organized  existence.  But  we  find 
the  system  as  it  exists  free  from  all  these  dangers  and 
inconveniences;  we  see  the  planets  moving  in  orbits 
that  ensure  perfect  safety  to  all,  and  the  highest  advan- 
tages to  each.  Now  it  is  evident  that  in  determining 
their  orbits  of  motion  there  were  a  thousand  chances 
against  conveniency  and  safety  for  one  in  their  favor ; 
and  the  question  is,  shall  we  thank  fate,  alike  blind  to 


THE  FOUBTH  DAY.  313 

« 

causes  and  consequences,  or  an  all-wise  Creator  that 
could  foresee  all  possible  results,  that  that  one  was 
adopted  and  established  ? 

Design,  full  of  wisdom  and  benevolence,  stands  forth 
conspicuously  in  the  rotation  of  iJw  planets  upon  their 
axes.  Had  the  system  been  the  result  of  fortuity,  or 
mere  chance,  we  might  reasonably  have  expected  to 
find  among  so  many  globes,  all  differing  in  their  sizes, 
densities  and  distances,  a  similar  diversity  of  rotation. 
Some  might  have  revolved  upon  axes  that  perpetually 
shifted  their  direction;  a  condition  that  would  have 
destroyed  all  regular  succession  both  of  seasons,  and  of 
day  and  night ;  so  that  those  upon  them  who  one  week 
rejoiced  in  the  sunshine  and  luxuriance  of  the  tropics, 
might  the  next  find  themselves  locked  up  in  the  ice 
and  darkness  of  the  arctic  circle.  Some  might  have 
revolved  upon  axes,  pointing,  as  at  present,  always  in 
the  same  direction,  but  lying  in  or  nearly  in  the  plane 
of  the  ecliptic;  an  adjustment  that  would  produce  re- 
sults exactly  equivalent  to  transferring  the  climate  and 
condition  of  the  poles  to  the  equator,  and  those  of  the 
equator  to  the  poles,  with  every  revolution  in  their 
orbits.'  Some  might  have  rotated  upon  axes  always 
pointing  to  the  sun,  an  arrangement  that  would  have 
kept  one  hemisphere  in  perpetual  daylight,  and  left  the 
other  in  eternal  darkness.  Some  might  have  turned  so 
slowly  upon  their  axes  as  to  give  only  three,  four,  or 
half  a  dozen  days  in  the  year ;  and  others  so  swiftly  as 
to  produce  days  and  nights  so  brief  and  hasty,  as  to  be 


314  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

unsuitable  for  rest  or  Libor.  But  in  the  existing  condi- 
tion of  the  system  we  discover  nothing  of  this  sort;  not 
one  of  all  the  planets  has  been  found  to  rotate  in  either 
of  these  ways,  or  in  anything  approaching  them ;  all 
alike  revolve  on  axes  of  such  a  small  inclination,  from  a 
perpendicular  to  the  plane  of  the  ecliptic,  as  gives  them 
an  agreeable  change  of  seasons,  and  in  periods  that 
afford  a  suitable  interchange  of  day  and  night.  How 
then  has  this  happy  arrangement  come  to  prevail 
throughout  the  system  ?  Whence  this  fitting  inclina- 
tion of  all  the  axes  ?  Supposing  chance  gave  to  the 
axis  of  one,  or  two,  this  degree  of  inclination,  is  it 
likely  that  the  axes  of  all  were  set  at  a  similar  angle 
by  chance  ?  Or,  if  chance  assigned  to  one  or  two  a 
proper  inclination  of  axis,  and  a  suitable  speed  of  rota- 
tion, was  it  chance  still  that  gave  both  these  to  all 
of  them?  Surely,  the  designing  mind  and  working 
hand  of  the  Great  Architect  could  not  have  been  more 
clearly  manifested  than  they  are  in  this  axial  adjust- 
ment of  all  the  planets. 

We  discover  design  the  most  marked  and  undeniable 
in  the  detjree  of  velocity  given  to  each  ^^lanet  in  its  orhit. 
We  have  before  illustrated  by  means  of  the  string 
and  ball  how  that  the  centrifugal  force  of  every  planet, 
and  the  force  of  the  sun's  gravitation  upon  it,  are 
always  equal.*  Hence  it  is  demonstrable  that  any  one 
of  the  planets  might  have  been  set  in  motion  at  a 
speed  either  too  high,  or  too  low  to  follow  its  intended 

*  Sec  p.  247. 


THE   FOURTH    DAY.  315 

path.     Any  one  of  them  might  have  heen  started  in 
its  present  orbit  at  a  velocity  too  small  to  carry  it  even 
once  round  the  sun,  his  gravitation  so  far  transcending 
its  centrifugal  impulse  as  to  draw  it  down  to  his  sur- 
face.    On   the  other  hand,  any  one  of  the  planetary 
globes  might  have  commenced  its  career  with  a  velocity 
so  great  as  would  have  greatly  elongated  its  orbit,  and 
thus  have  crossed  the  orbits  of  others,  and  become  ex- 
posed to  the  terrific  catastrophy  of  collision  with  them; 
or  might  have  been  projected  even  at  a  velocity  that 
would  have  carried  it  beyond  the  utmost  bound  of  the 
system.     Had  Mercury  received  the  tardy  rate  of  Nep- 
tune, a  few  days  would  have  sufficed  to  precipitate  it 
into   the  sun ;    and   had    Neptune   received  the  high 
velocity  of  Mercury,  it  would  have  plunged  into  the 
depths  of  infinite  space  never  to  return.     To  preserve 
their  present  safe  and  harmonious  orbits,  every  planet 
must    have  received    the  exact    impulse    that  would 
communicate  to  it  its  jDresent  velocity,  and  that  impulse 
must  have  been  given  exactly  at  such  an  angle.     One, 
and  only  one  velocity,  and  that  given  in  one,  and  only 
one  direction,  would  have  produced  the  present  orbits 
of  the  planets.     Here,  then,  it  would  be  folly  to  ask, 
Could  chance  have  thus  measured  these  impulses,  these 
angles,  these  velocities,  Avith  infallible  exactness?  or 
thus  undeviatingly  balance  the  mighty  forces  of  gravi- 
tation and  centrifugal  impulse  to  a  hundred  different 
worlds — different  in  their  magnitudes,  in  their  masses, 
and   in   their   distances?     Here   every   sane   mind   is 


316  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

brought   instinctively  to  the  conclusion — Omniscience 
and  Omnipotence  alone  loere  equal  to  the  task. 

We  have  evidence  of  design,  foresight  and  calcula- 
tion, conclusive  as  a  geometrical  demonstration,  in  the 
adjustments  by  which  the  stahility  of  the  solar  system,  as 
a  whole,  is  maintained.  The  planets  as  they  move  in 
their  orbits  of  necessity  attract  one  another,  according 
to  the  universal  law  of  gravitation.  When  at  their 
nearest  distances  from  one  another  these  disturbances 
become  perceptible  and  calculable;  and  though  they 
are  comparatively  small,  yet  if  they  went  on  increasing 
with  every  recurrence,  they  would,  in  the  course  of 
time,  inevitably  disturb  and  destroy  the  system.  When 
this  was  first  observed  by  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  he  became 
alarmed  for  its  safety,  and  thought  that  nothing  but 
the  direct  interposition  of  the  Almighty  could  save  it. 
But  as  the  science  of  physical  astronomy  advanced, 
mathematicians  became  able  to  calculate  and  prove 
that,  these  perturbations,  after  reaching  a  certain 
amount  or  degree,  gradually  decreased  until  they  came 
back  to  the  point  from  which  they  started ;  that  is, 
that  they  were  periodical,  or  oscillatory.  Every  planet 
after  leaving,  through  these  disturbing  attractions,  its 
regular  path  for  a  certain  time,  returns  slowly  to  that 
path,  deviates  from  it  on  the  other  side,  and  again  re- 
turns and  passes  to  its  former  limit.  Saturn  thus  re- 
turns in  a  period  of  929  years  ;  and  Jupiter  in  nearly 
the  same  period.  Although  these  oscillations  in  some 
cases  occupy  thousands  of  years,  yet  they  are  not  less 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  317 

sure  and  fixed  than  the  pendulum,  whose  regulated 
motion  marks  a  second  of  time.  Now  all  this,  as  Lap- 
lace and  Lagrange  have  demonstrated,  is  secured  by 
three  specific  and  distinct  adjustments,  namely,  the 
motions  of  all  the  planets  being  in  the  same  direction, 
their  orbits  being  of  small  eccentricity,  and  those  orbits 
being  slightly  inclined  to  each  other.  Upon  these 
three  things,  under  the  Supreme  Ruler,  hang  the  stabil- 
ity and  permanence  of  the  whole  system.  What  a 
marvellous  revelation  have  we  in  this  fact !  Here  are 
scores  of  great  globes,  the  distance,  mass  and  velocity 
of  every  one  of  them  must  be  in  their  exact  propor- 
tions ;  every  one  must  move  in  the  same  direction ; 
every  one  must  have  its  orbit  set  at  so  many  degrees 
of  inclination  to  all  the  rest;  and  every  one  must  be 
bound  to  suoh  an  amount  of  eccentricity.  An  error  in 
one  particular  might  have  destroyed  the  whole.  If  the 
eccentricity  of  Jupiter  alone,  according  to  Whewell, 
were  increased  to  that  of  Mercury,  the  security  for  the 
stability  of  the  system  would  disappear.  What  stronger 
evidence,  then,  of  care  and  foresight;  or  what  more 
conclusive  demonstration  of  profound  skill  and  design 
could  possibly  have  been  given  or  desired  ?  Who  can 
contemplate  this  proof  of  the  beauty  and  perfection  of 
the  planetary  system,  and  not  bow  in  reverence  and 
adoration  before  the  Omniscient  Architect  of  the 
heavens,  saying,  "  Great  and  marvellous  are  thy  works. 
Lord  God  Almighty;  thou  art  wonderful  in  counsel 
and  excellent  in  working  !" 


318  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

That  the  Planetary  System,  then,  is  the  production 
of  a  Being  of  infinite  wisdom  and  power,  cannot  be 
doubted.  Equally  evident  and  certain  is  it  that  the 
same  adorahJe  Creator  presides  continually  over  it, 
actuating  and  guiding  its  every  movement.  We  have 
more  than  once  applied  to  this  system  the  term 
Machinery,  but  it  is  machinery  totally  different  from 
every  human  production  that  receives  that  name. 
The  planetary  mechanics  are  of  such  exquisite  perfec- 
tion, and  their  parts  move  and  act  upon  one  another 
upon  principles  that  render  them  wholly  dissimilar 
from  every  contrivance  and  fabrication  of  man.  In 
our  machinery  every  thing  goes  on  by  contact  and 
impulse ;  pressure  and  force  by  cogs,  rods,  belts,  water, 
wind,  steam,  etc.,  are  the  means  by  which  motion  is 
transferred  to  and  from  every  wheel,  lever,  and  spring. 
But  in  the  machinery  of  the  heavens,  we  discover 
nothing  of  all  this.  Here  we  behold  spheres,  enormous 
spheres  in  free  and  boundless  space,  without  any  mate- 
rial or  visible  connection,  separated  by  spaces  that  can 
only  be  estimated  by  millions  of  miles,  yet  affecting 
one  another  powerfully,  constantly,  and  infallibly. 
Here  are  worlds  on  worlds  of  every  magnitude,  and 
placed  at  every  distance — planets,  and  rings,  and 
satellites — all  in  ceaseless  rotation,  and  all  careering 
through  the  trackless  void  with  velocities  appalling  to 
contemplate,  without  any  visible  power  or  agency  to 
produce  their  motions,  or  to  guide  them  in  their  un- 
marked and  mighty  circuits ;  yet  every  one  completing 


THE   FOURTU  DAY.  319 

its  daily  rotation,  and  accomplishing  its  annual  round 
of  hundreds  of  millions  of  miles,  without  deviating  the 
fraction  of  a  minute  from  age  to  age,  and  iioni  century 
to  century.  Here  is  mechanism  the  most  sublime, 
mechanism  worthy  the  Divine  Architect ! 

These  stupendous  evolutions  all,  as  commonly  viewed 
and  expressed,  are  effected  by  the  laws  of  nature,  the 
laws  of  motion  and  gravitation ;  and  multitudes  there 
are  who  never  look  beyond  or  above  these  laws  for  any 
other  power  or  agency  as  being  concerned  in  them. 
Their  conception  seems  to  be,  that  at  some  distant 
period  in  eternity  past,  which  cannot  be  defined,  the 
Deity,  by  a  single  act  of  His  will,  caused  the  whole 
universe  to  start  forth  into  existence,  that  He  im- 
pressed all  the  substances  which  He  created  with  their 
respective  self-acting  properties  or  laws,  that  He  then 
left  the  universe  to  the  government  of  these  laws,  and 
has  continued  ever  since  an  inactive  spectator  of  the 
works  of  His  hands.  But  such  an  idea,  however 
popular,  when  sifted,  must  appear  as  unphilosophical 
as  it  is  unscriptural.  Let  us  analyze  it.  What  is 
Law?  Simply,  as  every  one  must  admit,  a  Rule 
prescribing  a  course  of  conduct  or  action.  A  law, 
then,  is  not  an  efficient  agent  or  force,  and,  therefore, 
can  do  nothing,  effect  nothing.  And  certainly  matter 
— the  dead,  dark,  cold,  unconscious  materials  of  the 
planets  can  of  themselves  do  nothing ;  can  pursue  no 
end,  change  no  direction,  produce  no  motion.  If, 
therefore,  neither  the  laws,  nor  the  planets  upon  which 


320  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

those  laws  are  said  to  be  impressed,  can  do  or  effect 
anything,  who  or  what  produces  their  mathematically 
exact  and  harmonious  motions?  Here  is  an  effect, 
and  a  most  marvellous  one — where  is  the  cause? 
Taking  law  in  its  proper  and  only  intelligible  sense, 
we  are  soon  conducted  to  the  efficient  Cause  of  all. 
"  Law,"  says  Whewell,  "  implies  an  agent,  and  a  power, 
for  it  is  the  mode  according  to  which  any  agent  pro- 
ceeds, the  order  according  to  which  the  power  acts. 
Without  the  presence  of  such  an  agent,  of  such  a 
power,  conscious  of  the  relations  on  which  the  law 
depends,  producing  the  effects  which  the  law  prescribes, 
the  law  can  have  no  efficacy.  Hence,  we  infer  that 
the  Intelligence  by  which  the  law  is  ordained,  the 
power  by  which  it  is  put  in  action,  must  be  present  at 
all  times  and  in  all  places  where  the  effects  of  the  law 
occur ;  that  thus  the  knowledge  and  the  agency  of  the 
Divine  Being  pervade  every  portion  of  the  universe, 
producing  all  action  and  passion,  all  permanence  and 
change.  The  laws  of  nature  are  the  laws  which  He  in 
his  wisdom  prescribes  to  His  own  acts ;  His  universal 
presence  is  the  necessary  condition  of  any  course  of 
events.  His  universal  agency  the  only  origin  of  any 
efficient  force." 

This  is  the  correct  view  of  the  Laws  of  Nature  and 
the  Divine  Agency;  and  this  has  been  the  view 
entertained  by  the  profoundest  students  of  the  works 
of  creation.  Sir  Isaac  Neivto7i,  in  his  Optics,  declares 
that  the  various  operations  and  evolutions  of  nature 


THE  FOURTH  DA  Y.  321 

"can  be  the  effect  of  nothing  else  than  the  wisdom 
and  skill  of  a  powerful  ever-living  Agent,  who,  being 
in  all  places,  is  more  able  by  his  will  to  move  the 
bodies  within  his  boundless  uniform  sensorium,  and 
thereby  to  form  and  reform  the  parts  of  the  universe, 
than  we  are  by  our  will  to  move  the  parts  of  our  own 
bodies."  And  Clarke,  the  friend  and  disciple  of  New- 
ton, says,  "All  things  which  we  commonly  say  are  the 
effects  of  the  natural  powers  of  matter  and  the  laws  of 
motion  are,  indeed,  the  effects  of  God's  acting  upon 
matter  continually  and  at  every  moment."  Sir  John 
Herschell  expresses  himself  of  the  same  sentiment — 
"  The  laws  of  nature,  however  general,  are  the  laws 
which  God,  in  His  wisdom,  is  pleased  to  prescribe  to 
His  own  agency.  We  would  no  way  be  understood  to 
deny  the  constant  exercise  of  His  direct  power  in 
maintaining  the  system  of  nature;  or  the  ultimate 
emanation  of  every  energy  which  material  agents 
exert,  from  His  immediate  will."  So  also  McCosh,  in 
his  Divine  Government — "  Speaking  correctly  and 
philosophically,  the  general  laws  of  nature  are  just 
rules  which  God  has  laid  down  for  the  regulation  of 
His  own  procedure."  Dr.  John  Harris,  speaking  in 
his  Pre- Adamite  Earth  on  this  subject,  says,  "  We 
believe  that  the  same  power  which  originated  matter 
with  all  its  properties,  maintains  it  in  operation  by  a 
constant  regular  volition,  acting  according  to  estab- 
lished laws."     Dugald  Stewart  holds  similar  language 

— "All  the  events  which  are  continually  taking  place 
21 


322  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

ill  the  different  j)firts  of  the  material  universe  are  the 
immediate  effects  of  the  Divine  Agency."  To  the 
foregoing,  quotations  of  the  same  import  might  be 
added  from  the  writings  of  Bacon,  Pascal,  Boyle,  and 
many  others;  but  we  shall  add  one  only,  from  Sir 
Thomas  Browns — "  I  call  the  effects  of  nature,  the 
works  of  God,  whose  hand  and  instrument  she  only  is ; 
and,  therefore,  to  ascribe  His  actions  unto  her,  is  to 
devolve  the  honor  of  the  principal  agent  upon  the 
instrument,  which,  if  with  reason  we  may  do,  then  let 
our  hammers  rise  up  and  boast  that  they  have  built 
our  houses,  and  the  pen  receive  the  honor  of  our 
writings."  Such  are  the  devout  views  and  feelings 
of  these  great  men — men  whose  names  know  no  supe- 
riors in  the  history  of  science,  and  who  have  called 
forth  the  highest  admiration  of  mankind  for  their  great 
intellectual  powers. 

We  return,  then,  to  our  great  Planetary  System, 
ascribing  its  creation  in  the  beginning,  its  preservation 
through  the  ages,  and  its  movements  all  through  every 
moment  to  the  direct  and  immediate  agency  of  the 
Great  God.  Its  light,  its  motions,  its  existence,  owe 
their  continuance  to  Him.  It  is  His  right  hand,  under 
the  name  of  "  attraction,"  that  holds  the  planets  from 
forsaking  the  sun ;  and  His  left,  under  that  of  "  centri- 
fugal force,"  that  keeps  them  from  approaching  Him. 
What  we  call  "  rotation "  is  but  His  agency  whirling 
them  upon  their  axes;  and  what  we  term  their 
"  velocity,"  is  but  His  power  carrying  them  forward  in 


THE   FOURTH  DAY.  323 

their  orbits.  The  perfection  of  their  movements  is 
the  perfection  of  Ilis  operations;  and  their  ceaseless 
evolutions  the  sensible  manifestations  of  the  ceaseless 
emanation  of  His  power,  by  which  they  are  produced. 
"  By  the  word  of  His  power  all  things  consist."  And 
as  our  image  vanishes  the  instant  we  withdraw  from 
the  mirror,  so  would  the  motions  and  magnificence,  the 
beauty  and  harmony,  of  this  great  system  vanish  in  a 
moment  were  God  to  withdraw  from.it  His  supporting 
and  guiding  agency.  In  Him  all  in  the  heavens,  and 
all  upon  the  earth,  live  and  move  and  have  their  being. 

REFLECTIONS. 

From  the  scene  of  power  and  wisdom  we  have  now 
surveyed,  we  may  learn  a  lesson  of  trust — of  calm  and 
peaceful  confidence  in  God  our  Father.  What  we  have 
just  seen  of  His  works,  and  of  His  universal  and 
omnipotent  agency,  may  serve  to  convince  and  impress 
us,  that  what  He  hath  promised  He  is  able  to  perform ; 
and  that  what  He  hath  purposed  He  will  surely  accom- 
plish. 

Hath  He  promised  the  safety  of  his  church,  and  the 
spread  of  the  gospel,  until  the  kingdoms  of  this  world 
shall  become  the  kingdom  of  His  dear  Son?  Even  so 
then  shall  it  be.  All  the  rank,  and  learning,  and 
influence,  and  philosophy  of  the  world  shall  not  be 
able  to  overthrow  it.  Let  power  lift  up  its  arm, 
authority  promulgate  its  edicts,  bigotry  muster  its 
hosts,  intolerance   point   its  enmity,   and   persecution 


324  THE    FOURTH   DAY. 

open  its  dungeons  and  kindle  its  fires,  to  stay  its 
onward  march,  it  will  all  be  but  as  though  a  swarm  of 
bees  arose  to  arrest  the  majestic  orb  of  Jupiter  in  its 
revolution;  for  the  power  that  bears  onward  that 
mighty  globe  in  its  course,  is  engaged,  is  pledged,  to 
impel  this  chariot  of  salvation  through  all  the  world. 
Hath  He  promised  to  watch  over  the  humble 
believer  in  his  word,  and  to  conduct  him  in  safety 
through  a  world  of  sin  and  sorrow  ?  He  is  able  to  do 
it,  and  He  will  do  it.  Why  doubt  it  ?  The  mighty 
globes  of  matter  we  have  now  surveyed,  and  over 
which  He  exercises  such  unremitting  care,  have  all 
been  formed  for  the  service,  the  welfare,  and  the  happi- 
ness of  His  intelligent  creatures.  Does  He  then  care 
for  these  their  mere  habitations,  and  will  He  overlook, 
or  forget,  or  neglect  those  intelligences  themselves? 
Never. 

"  Behold  this  midnight  splendor,  worlds  on  worlds ; 
Ten  thousand  add,  and  twice  ten  thousand  more  ; 
Then  weigh  the  whole  :  one  soul  outweighs  them  all. 
And  calls  the  seeming  vast  magnificence 
Of  unintelligent  creation  2)oor."    Ifight  Thoughts. 

Fear  not,  therefore,  thou  child  of  God ;  He  who  con- 
ducts in  safety  each  planet  through  the  trackless  void, 
will  trace  out  for  you  the  wisest  and  the  safest  path 
through  this  moral  wilderness.  The  God  and  Father 
of  all,  who  so  balances  the  perturbations  of  a  hundred 
worlds,  through  all  the  lapse  of  ages,  as  to  produce 
universal  harmony  and  security,  can,  and  will,  accord- 


THE   FOURTH  DAY.  325 

ing  to  his  promise,  over-rule  all  things  to  work  together 
for  good  to  them  that  love  Him. 

Hath  He  said,  "  Him  that  believeth  in  me  will  I 
raise  up  at  the  last  day  ?"  Then  let  my  body  descend 
to  the  grave — let  my  members  perish  and  mingle  with 
the  soil — let  my  dust  be  scattered  to  the  four  winds  of 
heaven.  His  holy  eye  will  keep  unslumbering  watch 
over  all.  I  care  not  for  the  incredulity  of  the  Sad- 
ducee,  nor  for  the  sneers  of  the  sceptic,  nor  for  all  the 
difficulties  of  the  chemist — He  who  could  call  this 
magnificent  system  of  worlds  out  of  nothing,  can  find 
no  difficulty  in  calling  my  body  from  the  grave.  He 
who  could  aggregate  atoms  into  planets  and  satellites, 
can  be  at  no  loss  to  assemble  my  scattered  dust, 
whether  hidden  in  the  sepulchre,  or  merged  in  the 
depths  of  the  sea.  He,  who,  with  a  word,  could  kindle 
up  the  sun  in  the  splendor  of  his  glories,  can  also, 
with  a  word,  call  forth  my  mortal  remains,  and  refashion 
them  into  a  form  lovely  and  glorious  as  that  of  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness.  The  promise  of  all  this  is  gone 
out  of  His  mouth,  and  "  sooner  shall  heaven  and  earth 
pass  away  than  that  one  jot  or  tittle  of  it  should  fail." 

COMETS. 
He  worketh  signs  and  wonders  in  Heaven. 

To  the  Solar  System  belongs  another  class  of  bodies 
than  planets  and  satellites,  and  differing  from  them  in 
almost  every  respect — these  are  Comets,  or  Hairy  Stars, 


326  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

so-called  because  their  long  and  hazy  tails  sometimes 
resemble  flowing  hair.  These  are  very  numerous ;  not 
less  than  700  have  been  astronomically  observed ;  and 
it  is  believed  that  many  hundreds  more  escape  observa- 
tion, by  reason  of  their  paths  traversing  only  that 
part  of  the  heavens  which  is  above  the  horizon  in  the 
day-time. 

Comets  consist  of  a  large  and  more  or  less  splendid 
nebulous  mass  of  light,  called  the  head,  which  is 
usually  much  brighter  towards  its  centre,  and  presents 
the  appearance  of  a  vivid  nucleus,  like  a  star  or  planet. 
From  the  head,  and  commonly  in  a  direction  opposite 
to  that  in  which  the  sun  is  situated,  diverge  two 
streams  of  light,  which  grow  broader  and  more  diffused 
at  a  distance  from  the  head,  and  which  generally  unite 
a  little  behind  it,  but  sometimes  continue  distinct. 
Many  of  the  brightest  comets,  however,  have  but  short 
and  feeble  tails ;  and  a  few  exhibit  no  vestige  of  any. 
On  the  other  hand,  instances  are  not  wanting  of 
comets  furnished  with  many  tails;  that  of  1823  had 
two,  one  turned  toward  the  sun,  and  the  other  from 
him;  while  the  comet  of  1744  had  no  less  than  six, 
spreading  out  like  an  immense  fan.  These  tails  are 
sometimes  of  enormous  length ;  the  last  named  ex- 
tended to  a  distance  of  more  than  20,000,000  of  miles. 
The  comet  of  1680,  according  to  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  in 
the  space  of  two  days  after  its  perihelion,  shot  from  its 
body  a  tail  not  less  than  60,000,000  of  miles  in  length ; 
whilst   that  of    March,    1843,   had   a   train   of  light 


THE    FOURTH   DAY.  327 

stretching  away  from  the  nucleus  to  the  astonishing 
distance  of  200,000,000  of  miles.  These  tails  occa- 
sionally strongly  vibrate ;  and,  in  some  instances,  have 
appeared  as  if  agitated  by  the  wind. 

The  smaller  comets  appear  only  as  round  or  oval 
masses  of  vapor,  more  dense  toward  the  centre,  but 
without  any  distinct  nucleus,  and  the  smallest  stars 
can  be  clearly  seen  through  the  very  heart  of  them. 
And  many  of  the  larger  comets  appear  to  be  of  the 
same  character.  Comets  in  general  are  bodies  of  such 
extreme  tenuity,  that  the  most  unsubstantial  clouds, 
which  float  in  the  highest  regions  of  our  atmosphere, 
must  be  looked  upon  as  dense  and  massive  bodies 
compared  with  the  filmy  and  all  but  spiritual  texture 
of  a  comet.  Even  in  the  larger  and  brighter  ones, 
what  seems  to  the  naked  eye  a  nucleus,  is  found,  when 
viewed  through  a  powerful  telescope,  to  possess  no 
solidity;  though  in  some,  it  is  true,  a  very  minute 
stellar  point  even  then  remains,  indicating  the  exist- 
ence of  something  more  substantial.  In  all  probability, 
however,  comets  have  a  great  variety  of  structure,  and 
among  them  may  very  possibly  be  bodies  of  widely 
different  physical  constitution ;  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  one  and  the  same  comet,  at  different  epochs, 
undergoes  great  changes,  both  in  the  disjDosition  of  its 
materials,  and  in  their  physical  state.  Halley's  comet 
in  1835-36,  presented  at  one  time  the  appearance  of  a 
fan-shaped  flame,  proceeding  from  a  bright  point ;  at 
another  time  it  was  like  a  red-hot  coal  of  an  oblong 


328  "^BE   FOURTH  DAY. 

form;  at  another  time  it  was  seen  as  a  well-defined 
disk,  with  an  apparent  diameter  of  not  less  than  97,000 
miles;  and  at  another  time  as  a  brilliant  kernel  of 
light,  with  a  diameter  varying  from  250  to  1000  miles. 
Biela's  comet  was  actually  seen  to  separate  itself  into 
two  distinct  comets,  which,  after  thus  parting  company, 
continued  to  journey  along  amicably  through  an  arc  of 
70°  of  their  apparent  orbit.  During  this  separation, 
very  remarkable  changes  were  observed  to  be  going  on 
in  both,  as  they  increased  and  declined  alternately  in 
brightness.  After  being  thus  disunited  for  sixty-eight 
days,  the  comet  appeared  again  single ;  and  after  four 
weeks  more  disappeared. 

The  orbits  of  the  comets  are  extremely  long  and 
narrow  ellipses,  in  which  they  move  most  irregularly 
and  capriciously.  Sometimes  they  remain  in  sight 
only  for  a  few  days,  at  others  for  many  months ;  some 
move  very  slowly,  others  again  with  the  most  extra- 
ordinary velocity ;  that  which  appeared  in  the  Spring 
of  1843,  in  one  part  of  its  orbit  moved  at  the 
inconceivable  velocity  of  1,300,000  miles  per  hour! 
Not  unfrequently  the  two  extremes  of  slowness  and 
rapidity  of  motion  are  exhibited  by  the  same  comet  in 
different  parts  of  its  orbit.  Some  move  from  West  to 
East  like  the  planets,  some  from  East  to  West  in  the 
opposite  direction,  and  others  in  a  tortuous  and  very 
irregular  course.  Nor  do  they  confine  themselves,  like 
the  planets,  within  any  certain  region  of  the  heavens, 
but   traverse   indifferently  every  part.     In   many  in- 


THE    FOURTH   DAY.  329 

stances,  if  they  do  not  actually  intersect,  they  at  least 
pass  very  near  to  the  orbits  of  some  of  the  planets. 

The  eccentricity  of  the  cometary  bodies  is  equally 
marvellous ;  at  one  period  receding  far  beyond  the 
outermost  jDlanet  of  the  system ;  at  another  sweeping 
down  toward  the  sun,  and  approaching  him  so  closely 
as  almost  to  graze  his  surface.  The  celebrated  comet 
of  1680,  coming  back  from  a  distance  in  space  of 
44,000,000,000  of  miles,  approached  the  sun  within 
one-sixth  of  his  diameter;  while  that  of  1843,  at  its 
nearest  point,  was  only  one-fourteenth  part  of  his 
diameter  from  his  surface.  What  an  extraordinary 
fact  does  this  latter  present !  Were  the  earth  placed 
at  this  proximity  to  the  sun,  his  fierce  glare  would  be 
increased  47,000  times,  and  would  pour  a  degree  of 
heat  upon  it  sufficient  to  melt  into  liquid  and  convert 
into  vapor  the  hardest  substances  of  which  it  is 
composed. 

The  orbits  and  periodical  returns  of  some  thirty-five 
or  forty  of  the  comets  have  been  calculated.  That 
known  as  Enck's  comet  revolves  in  3  yrs.  and  3  ms. 
Biela's  in  6  yrs.  and  9  ms.  Halley's  occupies  a  period 
of  76  years  in  completing  its  mysterious  round;  this 
was  observed  by  Kepler,  good  and  great  man !  thrice 
since  he  departed  from  our  world  has  that  wandering 
comet  looked  down  upon  us  from  the  skies,  beaming 
each  time  with  its  misty  ray  upon  the  graves  of  the 
generation  which  last  beheld  it;  its  next  return  will 
be   in   1911,  and   what   changes   will   it   again    then 


330  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

witness  in  our  agitated  and  transient  world?  The 
period  of  another  comet  has  been  set  at  575  years. 
"The  comet  of  1811,  when  it  last  saw  the  earth,  saw 
it  yet  dripping  with  the  waters  of  the  flood."  Others 
are  supposed  to  occupy  no  less  than  100,000  years  in 
completing  their  revolutions ! 

Although  modern  science  has  thrown  much  light  on 
the  orbits  and  movements  of  comets,  yet  their  nature 
and  the  offices  they  perform  in  the  economy  of  our 
system  are  as  much  unknown  as  ever.  In  truth,  the 
more  they  are  studied,  the  more  mysteries  are  de- 
veloped in  connection  with  them ;  a  fact  that  led  the 
celebrated  Olbers  to  make  the  striking  remark,  that 
"  the  obscurity  and  unintelligibility  of  the  nature  of 
these  extraordinary  bodies  are  greatly  on  the  increase." 
AYhat  the  power  is  that,  contrary  to  the  force  of 
gravitation,  darts  forth  their  vast  appendages  with 
such  incredible  velocity,  and  to  such  immense  dis- 
tances, is  wholly  unknown;  nor  is  it  conceivable, 
says  Herschell,  that  matter  once  projected  to  such  an 
enormous  distance  should  ever  be  collected  again  by 
the  feeble  attraction  of  such  a  body  as  a  comet.  What 
then  becomes  of  it  ?  No  answer  can  be  given.  Here 
seem  to  be  forces  in  operation  unknown  to  human 
science.  In  dealing  with  comets  all  earthly  analogies 
fail  us.  "  We  look  upon  a  planet,  and  we  know  some- 
thing of  what  we  see ;  we  turn  to  a  comet,  and  there  is 
nothing  that  we  can  comprehend.  The  planets  tell  us 
of  so  many  resemblances  to  ourselves,  that  we  can 


THE    FOURTH  DAY.  331 

form  some  probable  inferences ;  the  comets  are  utterly 
silent — or  rather,  they  speak  loudly  of  their  Creator's 
glory,  but  in  a  tongue  that  no  man  can  understand." 

REFLECTIONS. 

The  cometary  system  opens  before  us  a  scene  of 
creation  of  which  we  know  but  little,  and  presents 
phenomena  of  which  we  can  give  no  account.  What- 
ever scientific  progress  or  achievements  we  may  have 
made,  we  are  here  admonished  to  be  modest  and  hum- 
ble, by  being  reminded  that  the  unlcnown  is  vastly, 
boundlessly  more  than  the  hnown ;  that  before  us  is 
still  an  illimitable  and  unfiithomable  ocean  to  be  ex- 
plored. There  is  something  in  the  aspect,  in  the 
presence,  of  a  sweeping  comet,  especially  calculated  to 
remind  us  that  we  are  also  in  the  presence  of  its  glori- 
ous Creator.  Here  we  experience  something  beyond 
the  ordinary  impression  of  grandeur — something  fear- 
ful and  peculiarly  solemn !  He  who  can  look  up  to 
these  stupendous  mysteries  as  an  atheist  or  an  infidel, 
let  him  withdraw  from  beneath  the  sacred  canopy  of 
the  heavens,  and  hide  himself  in  darkness  and  silence, 
as  a  living  reproach  to  his  Maker. 

The  days  have  been  when  the  appearance  of  a  comet 
inspired  universal  disquietude  and  alarm,  being  taken 
as  a  sure  prognostic  of  some  direful  calamity  or  disaster. 
Princes,  popes  and  peoples  were  alike  perplexed  and 
terrified  by  the  sight  of  these  ominous  wanderers  in 
the  heavens,  as  they  glared  down  in  their  fiery  splen- 


332  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

dor,  or  gave  forth  their  pale,  Uvid,  watery  light,  or 
extended  their  enormous  trains  like  a  bent  and  bloody 
sword  athwart  the  firmament.  But  light  at  length 
has  emancipated  men  from  the  bondage  of  this  fear. 
We,  of  to-day,  having  better  knowledge  of  the  charac- 
ter and  motions  of  these  once  portentous  visitants,  see 
that  the  alarm  and  agitation  of  our  ancestors  were 
groundless,  and  can  smile  at  their  ignorance  while  we 
pity  their  terror.  But  after  all,  do  we  not  betray 
similar  ignorance,  and  yield  ourselves  to  equally  un- 
founded apprehensions  many  times  ?  We  cast  an  anx- 
ious eye  over  the  firmament  of  our  future,  and  think 
we  discern  in  it  certain  omens  of  coming  evil — of  the  loss 
of  health,  or  wealth,  or  friends ;  and  thus  suffer  from 
similar  fears,  and  perhaps  to  an  equal  extent  with 
those  who  saw  prodigies  in  the  bloody  hue  or  flaming 
tail  of  a  comet.  Are  we  not  here  in  equal  error  ?  For 
does  not  all  this  tormenting  anxiety  spring  from  igno- 
rance, or  else  forgetfulness,  that  the  God  who  guides 
the  planets  and  the  comets  in  their  courses,  governs 
the  affairs  of  nations  and  individuals  upon  the  earth 
by  wisdom  and  by  laws  equally  infallible  ?  Certain  it 
is  that  the  worlds  of  human  thought,  and  action,  and 
destiny,  no  less  than  those  resplendent  worlds  of  mat- 
ter, hang  upon  the  will  of  Him  who  worketh  all  in  all. 
Superior  intelligences,  angels  and  the  spirits  of  just 
men  made  perfect,  who  have  larger  and  clearer  views 
of  the  Divine  administration,  look  down  upon  us,  as 
we  look  back  upon  the  ignorant  and  superstitious  of 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  333 

former  days,  an'd  regard  with  mingled  regret  and  com- 
passion our  folly  and  disquietude.  To  them  it  is  as 
evident  as  that  every  sphere  in  heaven  has  its  fixed 
orbit,  and  comes  and  goes  at  its  appointed  times,  that 
every  change  and  revolution  among  men  has  its  own 
wise  and  determinate  direction,  and  that  every  event 
is  brought  forward  in  its  due  time  and  place.  No 
sooner  were  announced  to  men  the  laws  which  govern 
the  comets  in  their  mysterious  visitations,  than  they 
ceased  to  be  dreaded  or  looked  upon  as  prodigies ;  so 
were  we  elevated  to  the  light  and  faith  of  these  exalted 
beings  we  should  at  once  dismiss  both  our  alarms  and 
complaints.  We  should  see  that  eternal  "Wisdom  mar- 
shals the  great  procession  of  humanity,  directing  their 
course  through  all  the  ages,  embracing  within  His  care 
all  their  interests,  and  accomplishing  His  purposes, 
whether  they  lie  in  ignorance,  or  slumber  in  apathy, 
or  oppose  in  madness.  We  should  discover  that  man 
is  lifted  up  or  cast  down,  that  fortune  goes  and  comes, 
that  plans  succeed  or  are  overthrown,  that  health  and 
wealth  fade  or  flourish,  according  to  the  counsel  of  His 
will ;  and  that  nothing  is  by  chance,  though  many  in 
their  ignorance  of  causes  may  think  so.  We  should 
see  that  the  events  and  deeds  of  time  are  governed  as 
well  as  judged  by  the  laws  of  eternity ;  and  that  as  the 
vapory  comets  are  wheeled  round  by  the  potent  attrac- 
tion of  the  sun,  so  the  plans  and  caprices  of  fleeting 
existences  bend  to  the  immovable  Omnipotence,  who 
plants  His  foot  on  all  the  centuries,  and  has  neither 


334  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

change  of  mind,  nor  yields  to  repose,  in  accomplishing 
for  them  His  purposes  of  mercy  and  grace. 

In  the  history  of  Comets,  or  rather  of  their  appear- 
ances, we  are  presented  with  a  striking  illustration  of 
the  all-embracing  character  of  Divine  Providence — how 
it  works  in  patient  and  unfailing  continuity  from 
generation  to  generation,  combining  events  the  most 
remote  in  time  and  objects  the  most  distant  in  space, 
and  pressing  into  its  service  agencies  the  most  insignifi- 
cant and  influences  the  most  transient,  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  its  purposes.  As  all  nature  is  a  connected 
system,  so  we  find  that  all  events  are  parts  of  a  connec- 
ted scheme.  Nothing  in  either  is  found  isolated  or 
alone.  The  whole  of  the  present  stands  related  to  the 
whole  of  the  past.  If  we  searched  the  records  of 
history  to  find  an  event  with  which  we  are  totally  dis- 
connect, and  to  which  we  owe  nothing,  we  could  not 
perhaps  alight  upon  one  more  hkely  to  be  of  this 
character,  than  the  fleeting  appearance  of  a  comet,  that 
took  place  a  thousand  years  before  we  were  born.  Yet, 
even  to  the  appearance  of  such  a  comet  we  may  be  not 
a  little  indebted  both  for  what  we  are  and  what  we 
enjoy.  In  the  providence  of  heaven,  comets,  distant  as 
they  are,  fleeting  mysteries  as  they  are,  have  been 
made  to  contribute  important  influence  in  shaping  the 
destiny  of  many  nations,  and  therefore  in  shaping  our 
own.  They  have,  indeed,  been  prime  actors  in  some 
of  the  most  critical  and  decisive  events  in  human 
history.     They  have  dethroned  kings,  humbled  popes, 


THE  FOURTH  DAT.  335 

emptied  treasuries,  subdued  kingdoms,  and  turned  to 
flight  the  armies  of  aliens.  And  strange  at  first  thought, 
as  it  may  appear,  to  comets  the  foremost  nations  of  the 
world  owe,  in  no  small  measure,  their  present  civiliza- 
lion,  politics,  and  religion.     Let  us  explain  this. 

In  the  year  837,  when  Louis  le  Debonnaire  was  on 
the  throne  of  France,  the  comet,  now  called  Halley's, 
made  its  appearance  in  the  firmament.  This  monarch 
no  sooner  beheld  it,  than  he  concluded  it  was  sent  to 
announce  to  him  new  misfortunes  ;  to  avert  which,  he 
exhausted  all  his  resources  in  the  foundation  of  reli- 
gious houses,  in  building  churches,  monasteries  and 
nunneries,  and  in  richly  endowing  them ;  in  this  way 
he  iioped  to  turn  away  that  heavenly  anger,  which 
was  so  evidently,  as  he  supposed,  manifested  against 
him.  From  that  day  forward,  the  influence  of  these 
great  establishments  was  powerfully  felt  throughout 
the  nation.  At  a  later  date,  another  splendid  but 
alarming  comet  appeared  in  the  nocturnal  heavens  of 
France,  Charles  V.  being  now  its  ruler;  this  prince, 
like  Louis,  made  no  doubt  that  it  addressed  itself  to 
him,  as  being  the  greatest  and  most  illustrious  monarch 
of  his  time ;  and  it  speedily  brought  him  to  the  resolu- 
tion of  abdicating  his  throne,  which  he  did  at  once, 
and  sought  refuge  in  a  monastery,  hoping  that  the  evils 
which  threatened  him  as  a  monarch  would  not  pursue 
him  as  a  monk.  Now,  who  but  must  perceive  that 
comets,  by  creating  and  endowing  so  many  religious 
institutions  and  inducing  this  change  of  civil  rulers, 


336  THE   FOURTH  DAY. 

must  have  exerted  a  wide  and  prolonged  influence  in 
shaping  the  subsequent  history,  and  in  determining  the 
present  character  and  condition  of  the  French  nation. 

Halley's  comet  visited  our  system  again  in  the  year 
1456 ;  and  this  time,  found  the  Christians  and  Moham- 
medans engaged  in  a  bloody  conflict  at  the  siege  of 
Belgrade.  Displaying  its  flaming  length  in  the  heavens, 
it  at  once  arrested  the  attention  and  awed  the  minds 
of  the  combatants.  Believing  it  to  be  a  sign  against 
the  Turks,  40,000  Minorites  rushed  to  the  assistance 
of  their  Christian  brethren,  all  unarmed,  but  each  bear- 
ing a  crucifix  in  his  hand,  declaring  it  to  be  a  token  of 
God's  anger  against  the  Mussulmans,  which  so  intimi- 
dated the  latter,  that  they  turned  and  fled,  leaving 
their  wounded  and  slain  upon  the  field,  and  abandon- 
ing in  their  flight  the  materials  and  treasures  which  it 
occupied  years  to  collect.  Thus  did  the  Mohammedans 
experience  a  defeat,  and  their  cause  suffer  a  check, 
which,  says  the  historian,  it  seems  impossible  to  sup- 
pose they  could  have  incurred,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
interposition  of  the  comet. 

Again,  history  reveals  to  us  the  fact  that  one  of 
these  mysterious  visitants  exerted  a  potent  influence 
upon  armies  and  upon  an  empire  with  which  we  stand 
more  immediately  connected.  In  the  month  of  April, 
A.  D.  1066,  William  of  Normandy  crossed  the  British 
Channel,  and  invaded  England.  Just  at  that  time  a 
comet  made  its  appearance,  glaring  down  upon  the 
Island.      Suddenly   the    idea   took   possession   of    all 


THE    FOURTH   DAY.  337 

minds  that  its  advent  was  the  precursor  of  his  con- 
quest. Men  began  to  exclaim  Nova  stella,  uovuh  rex  ! 
A  new  star,  a  new  king.  Arms  and  eyes  were 
everywhere  stretched  forth  toward  the  portentous 
sign ;  and  Harold,  the  king  of  the  Britons,  himself  is 
said  to  have  gazed  upon  it  with  a  saddened  look. 
And  this,  more  than  anything  else,  we  are  told,  crip- 
pled the  energies  of  himself  and  army,  and  gave 
William  an  easy  victory  over  him.  But  for  this 
comet,  then,  and  the  superstitious  ideas  engendered  by 
its  appearance,  who  can  say  what  would  have  been  the 
fate  of  England,  or  the  condition  of  the  world,  at  this 
day?  Certainly  not  such  as  it  has  been  for  the  last 
800  years — probably  something  far  less  enlightened, 
less  prosperous,  less  happy. 

We  see  hence,  then,  the  all-embracing  and  all-con- 
necting character  of  the  Divine  Providence ;  it  combines 
the  affairs  of  earth  even  with  the  revolutions  of  heaven, 
and  times  the  recurrence  of  the  one  to  the  crises  of  the 
other;  employs  the  ignorance  and  superstition  of  one 
generation  to  open  the  channel  out  of  which  are  to 
issue  the  light  and  science  of  another  yet  distant  in 
the  future ;  comprehends  all  agents,  and  unites  all 
actions,  into  one  unfailing  scheme,  to  bring  about  the 
purposes  of  eternal  wisdom.  "  His  kingdom  ruleth 
over  all;  and  His  dominion  endureth  throughout  all 
generations." 
22 


338  THE    FOURTH  DAY. 


THE  FIXED  STARS. 

By  the  word  of  the  Lord  xvere  the  heavens  made,  and  all  the  hosts  of 
them  by  the  breath  of  His  mouth. 

In  our  outward  flight  through  the  solar  system,  we 
traversed  distances,  compared  with  which,  all  earthly 
measurements  dwindled  into  insignificance ;  yet  when 
we  had  reached  the  orbit  of  the  remotest  of  all  the 
planets,  3,000,000,000  of  miles  from  the  centre,  we 
had  scarce  set  foot  on  the  threshold  of  the  temple  of 
creation.  While  we  remain  among  the  planetary 
worlds,  we  are  among  our  near  neighbors ;  and  while 
we  continue  within  the  limits  of  the  solar  system,  we 
are  comparatively  at  home  in  the  boundless  universe 
of  God.  If  now  we  advance  to  the  study  of  the  fixed 
stars,  those  myriads  of  lights  which  nightly  sparkle  in 
our  firmament,  we  must  leave  far  behind  the  utmost 
bound  of  our  own  system,  pass  through  dark  and 
pathless  regions,  and  pierce  into  depths  of  space,  the 
very  thought  of  which  awes  and  overwhelms  the  mind. 
Among  the  stars  we  are  brought  to  contemplate,  to 
confront  distances,  magnitudes,  and  movements  that 
convey  the  sublimest  ideas  of  the  Infinity  of  the 
Creator  to  which  the  human  mind  can  ever  rise. 

The  fixed  stars,  then,  do  not  belong  to  our  system 
of  the  creation.  They  do  not,  like  the  planets,  own 
the  dominion  of  our  sun;  they  do  not  circle  round 
him ;    they  do  not   yield   to   his  attractive  influence ; 


TriE  FOURTH  DAY.  339 

neither  are  they  enlightened  by  his  rays,  but  shine  by 
their  own  intrinsic  light.  The  attraction  and  the  light 
and  heat  of  our  sun  diminish,  waste  out,  and  become 
extinct  long  before  those  profound  depths  are  reached. 
Nevertheless,  attraction  and  motion,  light  and  heat 
prevail  among  them,  and  are  governed  by  the  same 
uniform  laws  as  they  are  among  the  bodies  of  the 
planetary  system. 

That  the  stars  are  at  an  incomparably  greater  dis- 
tance than  the  planets  is  obvious  from  two  simple 
considerations.  The  earth  at  one  point  of  its  orbit  is 
nearly  200,000,000  of  miles  further  from  some  of  them 
than  at  the  opposite  point;  and  yet  this  enormous 
space  makes  no  sensible  difference  in  their  apparent 
size.  Again :  the  planets,  when  viewed  through  a 
powerful  telescope,  exhibit  a  circular  phase  or  disk, 
capable  of  being  magnified  and  distinguished  into  parts 
and  features;  Venus  and  Jupiter  can  be  made  to 
appear  as  large  as,  and  even  larger  than,  the  full 
moon :  but  no  telescope  can  thus  magnify  the  stars ; 
through  the  most  powerful  glasses  ever  invented,  they 
are  still  but  mere  specks  or  points  of  light.  These 
considerations  alone,  then,  prove  them  to  be  at  an 
inconceivable  distance. 

For  a  long  time  the  distance  of  the  fixed  stars  was 
regarded  as  utterly  beyond  the  calculation  of  man. 
The  method  used  for  computing  the  distance  of  the 
moon  and  the  sun  from  us  would  not  apply  to  them. 
The  diameter  of  the  earth  afforded  no  adequate  base 


340  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

line  for  the  calculation ;  and  even  the  diameter  of  the 
earth's  orbit,  190,000,000  of  miles,  was  found  to  be  but 
little  better — in  passing  from  one  extremity  of  this 
immense  line  to  the  other  extremity,  not  the  least 
change  was  observed  in  the  apparent  positions  of  the 
stars ;  the  keenest  scrutiny  could  not  detect  the  slight- 
est displacement  among  them.  At  length,  however, 
instruments  of  sufficient  delicacy  and  perfection  were 
invented  to  mark  a  difference,  though  extremely  small, 
and  the  human  mind  triumphed  over  what  had  so  long 
appeared  insuperable.  In  the  year  1839,  Henderson, 
a  British  astronomer,  succeeded  in  calculating  the 
distance  of  the  star  known  as  a  Centauri,  and  found  it 
to  be  no  less  than  20,000,000,000,000  of  miles;  a  space 
which  it  would  occupy  light,  travelling  at  the  rate  of 
12,000,000  of  miles  a  minute,  3  yrs.  and  7  ms.  to  pass 
over.  About  the  same  time,  Bessel,  a  German  astron- 
omer, determined  the  distance  of  the  star  61  Cygni, 
which  is  three  times  that  of  the  former,  or  63,000,000,- 
000,000  of  miles.  Sirius,  though  the  brightest  of  all  the 
stars,  is  six  times  the  distance  of  a  Centauri,  or 
120,000,000,000,000  of  miles.  The  beautiful  star  called 
Capella,  is  at  such  an  enormous  distance,  that  it 
occupies  light  to  travel  from  it  down  to  the  earth  no 
less  a  period  than  72  years !  Yet  these  are  among  the 
nearest  of  the  stars ;  "  the  hosts  of  heaven "  lie  still 
immeasurably  further  in  the  depths  of  space.  And  as 
for  those  stars  which  are  visible  only  through  powerful 
telescopes,  their  distances  are  so  inconceivably  immense, 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  341 

that  their  light  must  have  taken  a  longer  period  to 
reach  our  globe  than  has  elapsed  since  the  creation  of 
man ;  Avhilst  rays  of  light  coming  from  the  stars 
composing  one  of  the  remotest  nebula?,  according  to 
Herschell,  must  have  been  millions  of  years  on  their 
way !  These  are  distances  which  the  human  mind  is 
utterly  impotent  to  grasp.  We  can  state  them  in 
words,  and  can  exhibit  them  in  figures,  but  the  intel- 
lect of  man  can  form  no  clear  or  adequate  conception 
of  them  by  any  effort  of  which  it  is  capable. 

Overwhelming — bewildering — as  these  distances  are, 
yet  were  it  possible  for  us  to  wing  our  flight  to  the 
remotest  of  the  orbs  of  light  to  which  we  have  now 
adverted,  whether  to  the  East  or  to  the  West,  to  the 
North  or  to  the  South,  it  is  not  improbable  that  we 
should  still  see  other  myriads  in  each  direction  as  far 
beyond.  And  were  we  to  repeat  such  a  flight  to  these 
again,  the  boundaries  of  Jehovah's  empire,  we  may 
well  suppose,  would  be  yet  unreached  and  undis- 
covered !  There  is  nothing  in  such  a  supposition  that 
should  be  regarded  as  incredible ;  for  He  filleth 
immensity  with  His  presence ;  His  wisdom  and  power 
are  infinite;  His  plans  are  vast  and  boundless,  and 
inconceivable  to  the  minds  of  mortals.  "  Great  is 
Jehovah,  and  of  great  power;  His  understanding  is 
infinite.  Behold  the  heaven,  and  heaven  of  heavens 
cannot  contain  Him." 

Distant  as  the  stars  are,  astronomers  have  contrived 
to  detect  a  number  of  interesting  phenomena  connected 


342  THE    FOURTH   DAY. 

with  them.  Some  stars  are  observed  to  increase  and 
decrease  regularly  in  brightness,  within  fixed  and 
definite  periods ;  these  periods  in  some  are  only  a  few 
days,  in  others  many  years.  Some  stars  seem  to  vary 
fitfully  in  their  magnitude  and  brilliancy.  Others 
again  appear  from  time  to  time  in  different  parts  of 
the  heavens,  blazing  forth  with  extraordinary  lustre, 
and  after  remaining  awhile  apparently  immovable,  die 
away  leaving  no  trace.  Many  stars  that  once  shone 
brilliantly  in  the  firmament,  are  now  missing.  "  Such 
changes  in  bodies  so  far  removed  from  our  system,  and 
of  magnitude  so  enormous  as  the  least  of  them  must 
be,  naturally  lead  to  the  conclusion,  that  revolutions 
of  vast  extent,  and  operations  conducted  on  a  most 
magnificent  scale,  are  incessantly  going  forward  in 
those  remote  and  inexplorable  regions." 

Among  the  most  wonderful  revelations  of  siderial 
astronomy  are  what  have  been  called  double,  triple, 
and  multiple  stars.  When  a  telescope  of  considerable 
power  is  directed  to  certain  stars,  which  appear  single 
to  the  naked  eye,  they  are  found  double,  one  star  being 
quite  adjacent  to  the  other.  Others,  again,  are  found 
triple,  &c.  These  are  found  to  revolve  around  each 
other;  that  is,  two,  three,  or  four  suns,  together  with 
their  respective  systems,  revolve  round  one  another, 
or  around  their  common  centre  of  gravity.  This 
assuredly  is  a  most  sublime  conception.  What  can  be 
more  august  or  overwhelming  than  the  idea  of  resplen- 
dent suns  revolving  around  other  equally  resplendent 


THE    FOURTH   DAY.  343 

suns;  of  suns  encircled  with  numerous  retinues  of 
planetary  bodies,  all  in  rapid  motion,  around  other 
similar  suns,  over  immeasurable  circumferences,  and 
with  a  velocity  surpassing  all  human  comprehension, 
and  carrying  all  their  planets  with  them  in  swift 
career.  Yet  nearly  0,000  such  systems  of  double  stars 
have  been  discovered, 

.  A  most  curious  and  interesting  fact  connected  with 
these  multiple  systems  is,  that  one  sun  differs  in  color 
from  the  other  suns  in  the  same  system.  In  some 
instances,  one  sun  is  yellow  and  another  blue;  in  other 
cases,  one  is  of  a  crimson  hue,  while  another  is  of  a 
vivid  green.  What  a  variety  of  illumination  two, 
three,  or  four  such  suns  must  afford  to  the  planetary 
worlds  circling  around  them ;  what  charming  contrasts 
and  grateful  vicissitudes — a  red,  a  green,  and  a  yellow 
day  alternating  with  a  white  one,  and  with  darkness. 
One  hemisphere  of  a  planet  may  be  illumined  with  a 
yellow  sun,  wliile  the  other  is  at  the  same  time 
enlightened  by  a  green ;  and  both  may  shine  occasion- 
ally on  the  same  hemisphere,  producing  such  a  blending 
of  colors,  and  such  a  contrast  of  hues  over  the  whole 
landscape,  as  to  render  the  aspect  of  the  scene  com- 
pletely different  at  one  time  from  what  it  is  at  another. 
In  different  parts  of  the  planet's  courses  around  their 
primary  sun,  these  effects  will  be  variously  modified, 
so  as  to  produce  almost  a  perpetual  variety  in  the 
scenery  of  such  worlds.  A  sun  of  a  brilliant  white 
may   be    seen    rising,   while    another   of    an   equally 


344  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

brilliant  green  is  on  the  meridian,  and  one  of  crimson 
red  just  descending  below  the  horizon.  And  when  all 
are  absent,  the  starry  firmament  will  appear  in  all  its 
splendor,  and  every  object  around  present  a  beauteous 
and  pleasing  contrast  to  its  previous  appearance. 
Here,  then,  are  scenes  of  creation  brought  before  us  of 
surpassing  w^onder  and  glory.  In  the  constellation  of 
the  Southern  Cross  is  found  a  cluster  of  more  than  a 
hundred  variously  colored  stars  or  suns,  exhibiting  all 
the  various  shades  of  red  and  blue  and  green ;  and  so 
closely  thronged  together  are  they  as  to  appear  in  a 
powerful  telescope  like  a  diadem  thickly  set  with  the 
most  glittering  gems;  while  all  around  are  scattered 
those  that  look  like  drops  of  blood ! 

From  the  immense  distance  of  the  stars  we  are  at 
once  brought  to  the  conclusion,  that  they  must  be 
bodies  of  stupendous  dimensions,  otherwise  they  would 
be  altogether  invisible  from  our  world.  It  is  demon- 
strable that  our  sun,  at  the  distance  of  the  nearest  of 
the  fixed  stars,  must  appear  only  as  one  of  the  smallest 
of  those  visible  to  the  naked  eye.  And  this  fact  alone 
serves  to  show,  that  they  must  be  globes  at  least  equal 
in  size  and  splendor  to  the  sun,  while  many  of  them 
doubtless  are  vastly  larger. 

Another  thing  that  goes  to  prove  that  the  stars  are 
innnensely  large  globes,  is  the  degree  of  light  which 
man}'^  of  them  shed.  Experiments  plainly  indicate, 
that  were  the  star  Sirius  and  our  sun  placed  at  equal 
distances  from  us,  that  star  would  impart  an  amount 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  345 

of  light  14  times  greater  than  that  of  the  sun.  The 
diameter  of  the  star  Vega  has  been  calcuUited  to  be 
38  times  that  of  the  sun ;  consequently  its  bulk  must 
be  55,000  times  that  of  the  sun.  What  a  stupendous 
orb  must  such  a  star  be !  The  earth  we  call  a  large 
globe;  other  of  the  planets  are  hundreds  of  times 
larger ;  and  the  sun  is  500  times  larger  than  all  the 
planets  and  satellites  put  together — what  then  must 
that  body  be  which  is  55,000  times  larger  than  the 
sum  of  the  whole  solar  system  !  The  bright  star  Lyra, 
it  is  said,  would  fill  the  orbit  of  Uranus,  which  is 
3,600,000,000  of  miles  in  diameter.  And  Sir  John 
Herschell  gives  it  as  his  opinion,  that  there  are  among 
the  nebulous  stars  those  of  dimensions  that  vastly 
transcend  even  this.  Such  magnitudes  over^DOwer  the 
imagination,  and  completely  baffle  our  highest  effort  to 
form  a  conception  of  them.  Oar  inability  to  conceive 
of  such  mighty  masses,  however,  affords  no  ground  for 
disbelief  of  the  facts.  Scripture  and  science  completely 
harmonize  in  the  views  they  give  of  the  Infinite 
Creator.     "  Great  things  doetli  He  past  finding  out." 

The  number  of  the  stars  is  equally  astonishing. 
"  Numerous  as  the  stars  of  heaven,"  has  been  a  pro- 
verbial expression  from  ancient  days.  Yet  ordinarily 
there  are  not  more  than  1,000  visible  to  the  naked  eye 
at  one  time;  and  not  more  than  6,000  in  both 
hemispheres  under  the  most  fiivorable  circumstances. 
But  these  are  only  the  beginnings  of  the  glories  of  the 
heavens.     When  the  telescope  is  turned  toward  the 


346  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

sky,  stars  before  unseen  come  forth  by  myriads  from 
the  dark  depths  of  space;  and  as  the  power  of  that 
instrument  is  increased,  other  myriads  still  come  to 
view ;  and  so  on  without  limit. 

"  Come  forth,  O  man  !  yon  azure  round  survey, 
And  view  those  lamps  which  yield  eternal  day. 
Bring  forth  thy  glasses  ;  clear  thy  wondering  eyes  ; 
Millions  beyond  the  former  millions  rise  ; 
Look  further — millions  more  blaze  from  yonder  skies." 

The  Milhy  Way,  as  it  is  called,  is  but  a  cluster  of 
stars.  Spaces  of  it  not  larger  than  the  apparent  size 
of  the  moon  contain  many  hundreds  of  stars.  "  This 
remarkable  belt,"  says  the  Elder  Herschell,  "when 
examined  through  a  powerful  telescope,  is  found  to 
consist  entirely  of  stars  scattered  by  millions,  like 
glittering  dust,  on  the  black  ground  of  the  general 
heavens."  And  Sir  J.  Herschell  saj's  that,  in  two 
hours  147,500  stars  swept  by  his  telescope;  and  that 
in  both  hemispheres  the  number  of  stars  that  can 
be  distinctly  counted  within  this  belt  must  exceed 
5,500,000.  "That  the  actual  number,"  adds  he,  "is 
much  greater,  there  can  be  little  doubt,  when  we  con- 
sider that  large  tracts  of  the  milky  way  exist  so 
crowded  as  to  defy  counting,  not  by  reason  of  the 
smallness  of  the  stars,  but  their  number." 

But  the  whole  of  the  Milky  Way  is  only  one  of 
those  clusters  of  stars,  called  nebulae,  that  are  scattered 
through  space.  Of  these  nebulae  not  less  than  3,000 
have   been   observed   and   examined.     Each  of  these 


TELESCOPIC  VIEW  OF  NEBULA. 


THE   FOURTH  DAY.  347 

appears  to  be  composed  of  stars  as  thickly  clustered  as 
the  milky  way.  Of  one  of  them,  Sir  J.  Herschell 
says,  "  Ten  or  twenty  thousand  stars  appear  to  be  com- 
pacted or  wedged  together  in  a  space  not  larger  than  a 
tenth  part  of  that  covered  by  the  moon,  and  presenting 
in  its  centre  one  blaze  of  light."  What,  then,  must  be 
the  number  in  the  whole  of  that  nebula3  ?  And,  if  to 
all  the  foregoing  we  add  the  stars  of  3,000  other 
nebulae,  or  milky  ways,  what  a  boundless  scene  is 
presented  to  the  mind ! 

The  survey  now  taken  of  the  distances,  magnitudes 
and  numbers  of  the  stars,  naturally  suggests  the  ques- 
tion, What  are  these  stars  ?  these  millions  on  millions 
of  luminous  orbs,  scattered  above,  below,  and  on  every 
hand,  through  the  depths  of  space?  In  a  preceding 
paragraph  we  have  spoken  of  them  as  being  suns,  each 
the  centre  of  a  system  of  worlds,  like  our  own  sun ; 
and  analogy,  all  the  analogies  we  have,  favor  this 
supposition.  What  else  can  they  be?  We  cannot 
view  them,  being  as  they  are  the  productions  of  infinite 
wisdom,  as  having  been  called  into  existence  for  no 
other  purpose  than  to  throw  a  tide  of  useless  splendor 
over  the  solitudes  of  immensity.  Nor  can  we  suppose 
that  they  have  been  formed  to  give  light  by  night 
upon  the  earth,  for  that  would  be  absurd,  as  one  small 
additional  moon  Avould  give  more  light  than  they  all ; 
besides  this,  there  is  comparatively  but  a  small  portion 
of  them  even  visible  to  our  world ;  myriads  of  myriads 
of  them  lie  far  beyond  the  reach  of  the  unassisted  eye. 


348  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

For  what  conceivable  end,  then,  have  these  stupendous 
globes  been  created  ?     Like  our  sun,  each  of  them  is 
placed  at  an  immense  distance  from  all  others;   like 
our  sun,  they  shine  by  their  own  light ;  like  our  sun, 
they  are  globes  of  stupendous  magnitude ;  and,  like  our 
sun,  as  far  as  observation  has  reached,  they  turn  upon 
their  own  axes — why,  then,  may  we  not  suppose,  that 
like  our  sun,  also,  each  of  them  is  the  centre  of  a 
system,  and  gives  light  and  heat  to  numerous  planetary 
w^orlds  revolving  around  it?     It  is  true  that  we  see 
not  these  planets,  their  distance  is  such  as  to  render 
that  impossible.     At  far  less  than  one-half  the  distance 
of  the   nearest   star   every   planet   in   our   system   is 
invisible,  and  the  sun  itself  appears  only  as  a  diminu- 
tive star.     To  us,  therefore,  this  may  be  the  case  of 
other  suns  and  systems — the  case  of  tliose  immensely 
distant  stars  and  their  encircling  worlds.     Those  stars 
that  exceed  our  sun  by  many  thousands  of  times,  both 
in  magnitude  and  glory,  may  be  attended  by  splendid 
retinues  of  planets,  exceeding  in  the  same  proportion 
every   thing    belonging   to   our   system,    and    yet   be 
altogether   invisible   to    us.      AVhy,    then,    should   we 
doubt  that  each  of  these  stars  is  the  centre  of  a  vast 
and  magnificent  system  of  worlds,  similar  to  that  to 
which  w^e  belong  ?     This,  at  any  rate,  seems  to  be  the 
most  rational  conclusion  that  we  can  form,  and  is  the 
view  entertained  by  astronomers  generally.     "  Worlds 
roll    in    these    distant    regions,"    says    the    eloquent 
Chalmers,  "  and  these  worlds  must  be   the  mansions 


THE   FOURTH  DAY.  349 

of  life  and  intelligence.  In  yon  gilded  canopy  of 
heaven,  we  see  the  broad  aspect  of  the  universe,  where 
each  shining  point  presents  us  with  a  sun,  and  each 
sun  with  a  system  of  worlds;  where  the  Divinity 
reigns  in  all  the  grandeur  of  His  attributes,  where  lie 
peoples  immensity  with  His  wonders,  and  travels  in 
the  greatness  of  His  strength  through  the  dominions  of 
one  vast  and  unlimited  monarchy." 

In  surveying  this  broad  and  boundless  aspect  of  the 
universe,  and  gazing  into  these  immeasurable  and  awful 
depths  of  space,  it  is  of  pleasing  interest  to  observe, 
that  while  mystery  heavy  and  almost  oppressive  hangs 
over  the  scene,  sijstcm  is  clearly  discernible  throughout, 
and  law  and  order  everywhere  prevail.  While  all  the 
visible  objects  of  the  heavens — suns,  planets,  satellites, 
rings,  comets,  nebulas — are  all  in  ceaseless  revolution, 
absolute  rest  being  unknown  in  the  material  creation, 
yet  nowhere  within  the  utmost  sweep  of  the  telescope 
has  there  been  discovered  anything  like  disorder, 
chance,  defect,  or  confusion.  "  It  may  be  most  con- 
fidently affirmed,"  says  McCosh,  "  that  nowhere  within 
this  extensive  region,  or  in  the  long  ages  opened  up  to 
us  by  the  time  which  light  requires  to  travel  from 
different  stars,  do  wo  discover  any  traces  of  a  chaos 
now  existing,  or  ever  having  existed,  or  of  worlds  being 
formed  by  natural  law,  or  of  worlds  only  half  formed 
or  in  the  course  of  formation,  or  of  any  object 
overlooked,  or  out  of  place,  or  not  in  harmony  with 
all  the  rest.     As  far  as  the   telescope  can  carry  our 


350  T'^-E    FOURTH   DAY. 

vision,  or  enable  tliouglit  to  cany  out  its  calculations, 
we  find  all  the  bodies  already  formed,  already  in 
harmony,  moving  on  in  their  spheres  as  if  performing 
some  great  and  good  office,  and  all  so  perfect,  that  our 
feelings  are  in  harmony  with  the  declaration  of  their 
Maker,  when  He  is  represented  as  proclaiming  them 
to  be  '  all  very  good.' " 

REFLECTIONS. 

The  siderial  heavens  present  the  most  impressive 
and  sublime  manifestation  of  the  U7iiversal  presence  and 
agency  of  the  Great  God.  As  true  philosophy  unites 
with  Scripture  in  attesting  that  all  life  and  all  motion 
proceed  from  God,  wherever,  therefore,  we  behold 
either  of  these,  we  behold  a  certain  token  of  the  Divine 
presence  and  agency.  Now  direct  our  eyes  to  what- 
ever quarter  of  the  heavens  we  may,  explore  we  the 
regions  of  the  Nadir  or  the  Zenith,  look  we  to  the  East 
or  to  the  West,  to  the  North  or  to  the  South,  and  from 
the  centre  of  the  little  globe  upon  which  we  stand  to 
tlie  remotest  limits  of  telescopic  vision,  we  behold  a 
scene  of  perpetual  revolutions  and  incessant  activity; 
we  discover  the  mighty  power  of  God  impelling  and 
guiding  planets,  suns,  and  systems  through  every  region 
of  immensity.  "He  bringeth  out  their  hosts  by  num- 
ber; He  calleth  them  all  by  their  names,  by  the 
greatness  of  His  might,  for  that  He  is  strong  in  power ; 
not  one  faileth."  And  this  He  has  been  doing  for 
thousands    and    thousands   of   years,    even    from    the 


THE    FOURTH   DAY.  35 1 

beginning,  jot  "faintetli  not,  noitlicr  is  weary." 
Magnitudes  do  not  overpower  Ilini;  distances  do  not 
fatigue  Ilim ;  multiplicity  and  variety  do  not  bewilder 
Ilim.  "While  His  mind  is  abroad  over  the  whole  vast 
creation,  and  Ilis  hands  are  employed  in  guiding  its 
countless  orbs,  He  is  as  essentially  and  intimately 
present  in  every  one  of  them,  as  if  it  constituted  the 
sole  object  of  His  attention ;  giving  life  to  all  its 
tenants,  spreading  out  all  its  charms,  and  bringing  on 
all  the  changes  that  enliven  and  beautify  its  scenery. 

"  I  am  a  Great  King,  saitli  the  Lord  of  hosts ;"  and 
the  extent  and  magnificence  of  His  dominions,  as  re- 
vealed by  astronomy,  prove  Him  to  be  such,  indeed. 
Cast  our  eyes  in  what  direction  we  please,  or  stretch 
our  imagination  to  the  utmost  of  its  power,  and  we  can 
tell  neither  where  those  dominions  begin,  nor  where 
they  end.  It  has  been  calculated  that  there  are  within 
the  reach  of  the  best  telescopes  more  than  tiuo  hillions 
of  tvorlds — a  number  so  vast  that,  counting  a  hundred 
per  minute,  it  would  take  no  less  than  40,000  years  to 
enumerate  them !  Yet,  men  of  sober  minds  and  pro- 
found intellects  have  advanced  the  supposition,  that 
were  even  all  these  to  be  swept  away  into  nothingness 
and  oblivion,  the  universe  of  God  would  be  still  left  in 
its  greatness,  and  that  its  glory  would  suffer  no  more 
by  the  event,  tremendous  as  it  seems  to  us,  than  would 
the  forest  by  the  dropping  of  a  single  leaf!  AVhat, 
then,  must  be  the  whole  realm  of  God?  And  if  we 
advance  still,  and  suppose,  in  accordance  with  what 


352  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

seems  to  be  probable,  that  the  innumerable  worlds 
embraced  within  His  vast  dominions  have  all  their 
days  and  nights,  seasons  and  years;  that  they  are 
peopled  with  an  endless  gradation  and  variety  of 
intelligent  beings,  who  can  reckon  these  days  and 
years,  and  employ  these  seasons  in  the  pleasing  duties 
of  mutual  benevolence  and  united  devotions ;  that  they 
are  adorned  with  altars  of  incense  and  temples  of 
praise ;  that  Divine  communion  is  enjoyed,  and  liosan- 
nas  ring  through  every  sphere — how  immense,  how 
incomprehensible  the  empire  of  Jehovah  !  How  great 
He,  who,  with  the  word  of  His  power,  summoned  all 
these  into  existence,  set  their  magnificent  and  innumer- 
able globes  in  incessant  revolution,  and  still  upholds 
and  guides  them  every  hour,  every  moment!  Who 
can  gaze  at  the  midnight  heavens,  and  mark  the 
myriads  of  their  glowing  fires,  and  not  be  moved  with 
profoundest  awe  and  reverence  at  the  presence  of  Him 
who  kindled  and  fixed  them  there,  and  for  whose 
pleasure  they  are  and  were  created  ? 

The  view  we  have  now  taken  of  the  boundless 
empire  of  God,  serves  to  set  forth  in  the  most  illustrious 
and  attractive  light,  His  love  and  humiliation  in  the 
redemption  of  our  fallen  race.  We  have  seen  that  our 
whole  terrestrial  abode  is,  in  the  vast  creation,  but  as  a 
leaf  to  the  forest,  as  a  single  grain  to  a  mountain  of 
sand.  Yet  to  save  the  insignificant  occupants  of  this 
insignificant  ball,  God  gave  His  only  begotten  Son  to 
live  among  them,  and  to  die  for  them.     "  God  so  loved 


THE  FOURTU  DAY.  353 

the  world!"  Herein  were  condescension,  love,  and 
mercy  that  must  have  amazed  the  universe.  AVhat 
was  our  Httle  world,  amid  an  infinitude  of  spheres  of 
transcendent  magnitude  and  splendor,  that  He  should 
make  it  the  object  of  such  a  gift !  And  what  was  our 
race,  our  sinful  and  wretched  race,  that  it  should  have 
thus  awakened  His  pity  and  engaged  His  love,  while 
songs  of  praise  regaled  His  ears,  and  the  incense  of  pure 
adoration  delighted  His  heart,  from  the  countless  mul- 
titudes of  innumerable  worlds !  Had  our  globe  and  all 
that  dwelt  upon  it  sunk  into  eternal  darkness  and 
annihilation,  it  would  not  have  taken  one  ray  from  the 
sun  of  His  glory,  nor  one  drop  from  the  ocean  of  His 
haj^piness.  And  had  He  thus,  in  one  moment,  wiped 
it  and  them  out  of  existence,  as  a  stain  upon  the  fair 
face  of  His  creation,  a  holy  universe  would  have 
approved  and  adored  the  deed  as  just.  But  wonder, 
0  earth !  and  be  astonished,  ye  heavens !  while  He  sat 
enthroned  high  above  all,  and  reigned  in  glorious 
majesty  over  the  magnificence  of  an  unbounded  crea- 
tion, He  was  mindful  of  the  lowest  and  the  least  of  the 
works  of  His  hands.  He  would  not  have  this  one 
revolted  world  perish.  Leaving  "  the  ninety  and  nine" 
on  the  bright  celestial  plains.  He  came  down  to  seek 
and  to  save  "  the  one  stray  sheep." 

And  the  means  by  which  our  redemption  was 
effected — how  astonishing !  And  how  was  this  accom- 
plished ?  It  was  not  by  a  mere  volition,  or  an  act  of 
omnipotence,  such  as  brought  our  world  and  itis  mhab- 

23 


354  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

itants  into  existence.  Had  our  Father  in  Heaven, 
indeed,  put  forth  His  power,  and  created  a  new  world, 
abounding  with  richer  displays  of  His  adorable 
perfections,  and  removed  us  thither  from  all  our 
present  guilty  associations,  to  dwell  evermore  amid 
scenes  of  purity  and  radiant  glory,  in  order  to  reclaim 
us  to  obedience  and  holiness — this  would  have  been  a 
deed  of  benevolence  toward  wilful  transgressors  that 
might  have  well  awakened  transports  of  joy  among  all 
holy  intelligences.  But  not  thus  was  our  redemption 
wrought  out.  A  Law  unbending  in  holiness,  and 
inexorable  in  justice,  had  been  violated  and  dishonored 
— a  Law  demanding  a  mighty  Sacrifice  before  the 
offenders  could  be  released.  Himself,  therefore,  as  no 
other  was  adequate,  willingly  becomes  this  sacrifice; 
lays  aside  the  glories  which  He  had  with  the  Father 
before  the  world  was,  descends  to  our  accursed  earth, 
takes  upon  Him  our  nature,  labors  and  suffers  for  our 
good;  subjects  Himself  to  persecution  and  injury,  to 
reviling  and  scorn,  to  buifeting  and  spitting,  and,  at 
last,  to  be,  by  wicked  hands,  crucified  and  slain ! 
This,  this  was  the  stupendous  price  of  our  redemption ; 
and  thus  was  it  paid  by  Him,  who,  with  His  word,  had 
created  the  earth,  and  by  His  Spirit  had  garnished  the 
heavens.  0  miracle  of  loving  kindness !  Had  such  a 
sacrifice  been  offered  to  save  from  impending  evil 
beings  the  loftiest  in  the  scale  of  created  intelligence, 
beings  the  most  obedient  and  loving,  beings  the  most 
innocent  and  holy,  it  would  have  been  a  display  of 


THE  FOURTH  DAY.  355 

love  worthy  an  an  thorn  peal  of  ecstatic  praise  from  all 
the  heavenly  hosts.  But  not  for  such  worthy  beings 
was  it  offered ;  but  to  rescue  the  obscure  and  insignifi- 
cant dwellers  of  his  footstool  earth ;  to  save  enemies, 
rebels,  wilful  offenders,  immersed  in  sin  and  guilt, 
and  justly  deserving  his  everlasting  displeasure  and 
abhorrence.  Here,  then,  was  love!  love  which  earth 
has  no  language  to  express !  love  which  no  burning 
seraph  before  the  Throne  can  set  forth,  or  comprehend  ! 
God  so  loved  the  world  !  The  Just  dies  for  the 
unjust!  With  what  sublimity  of  goodness,  with  what 
deep  parental  love  and  tenderness,  does  the  work  of 
redemption  invest  the  Divine  Character !  "  0  Lord, 
our  Lord,  how  excellent  is  thy  name  in  all  the  earth ! 
"When  I  consider  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers ; 
the  moon  and  the  stars  which  Thou  hast  ordained; 
what  is  man  that  Thou  art  mindful  of  him ;  and  the 
son  of  man  that  Thou  visitest  him?  All  thy  works 
praise  Thee,  and  thy  saints  shall  bless  Thee." 

Begin,  my  soul,  th'  exalted  lay, 
Let  each  enraptured  thought  obey, 

And  praise  th'  Almighty's  name  ; 
Lo  !  heaven  and  earth,  and  seas  and  skies, 
In  one  melodious  concert  rise. 

To  swell  th'  inspiring  theme. 

Ye  fields  of  light,  celestial  plains, 
Where  gay  transporting  beauty  reigns, 

Ye  scenes  divinely  fair ; 
Your  Maker's  wond'rous  power  proclaim, 
Tell  how  He  formed  your  shining  frame, 

And  breathed  the  fluid  air. 


356  THE  FOURTH  DAY. 

Join,  ye  vast  spheres,  tlie  loud  vocal  choir  ; 
Thou,  dazzling  orb  of  liquid  fire, 

The  mighty  chorus  aid  : 
Soon  as  gray  ev'ning  gilds  the  plain. 
Thou,  moon,  protract  the  melting  strain, 

And  praise  Him  in  the  shade. 

Ye  angels,  catch  the  thrilling  sound  ; 

While  all  th'  adoring  thrones  around, 

His  boundless  mercy  sing  ; 

Let  every  listening  saint  above 

Wake  all  the  tuneful  soul  of  love. 

And  touch  the  sweetest  string. 

— Ogilvie. 


^a- 


mt  Sip  §ni. 


Fishes,  Foivls,  and  e^very  'winged  thing  are  created. 


THE    FIFTH    DAY. 

Genesis  1  :  20-23. — And  God  said,  Let  the  waters  bring  forth  abundantly 
the  moving  creature  that  hath  life,  and  fowl  that  may  fly  above  the 
earth  in  the  open  firmament  of  heaven.  And  God  created  great  whales, 
and  every  living  creature  that  moveth,  which  the  waters  brought  fortli 
abundantly,  after  their  kind,  and  every  winged  fowl  after  his  kind  :  and 
God  saw  that  it  was  good.  And  God  blessed  them,  saying,  Be  fruitdil, 
and  multiply,  and  fill  the  waters  in  the  seas  ;  and  let  fowl  multiply  in 
the  earth.     And  the  evening  and  the  morning  were  the  fifth  day. 

nlE  have  now  advanced  through  four  days  of  the 
creative  process,  and  as  the  fifth  opens  upon  us, 
^^  the  eartli,  that  ere  while  was  dark,  without  form, 
and  void,  is  found  a  beautiful  world — the  heavy 
darkness  has  passed  away,  the  waters  are  collected,  the 
continents  and  islands  are  elevated  and  stocked  with 
vegetation  in  all  its  variety,  the  pleasing  alternation  of 
day  and  night  is  established,  the  clouds  float  their  soft 
and  golden  fleeces  over  the  landscapes,  the  waters  of  sea 
and  lake  sparkle  in  the  sun-light,  and  the  rivers  flow 
in  soft  murmurs  or  rapid  currents  along  their  new- 
made  channels,  while  gentle  breezes,  enriched  with  the 
sweet  odors  of  the  fresh  vegetation,  are  ftmning  the  face 
of  nature.  But  as  yet  there  are  no  living  tenant.s  to 
behold  or  to  enjoy  the  new  creation;  it  is  a  scene 
without  the  breath  of  life.  But  to-day  inhabitants 
shall  be  given  to  the  ocean  and  to  the  firmament; 

359 


360  THE   FIFTH  DAY. 

fishes  shall  cleave  to  the  waters,  and  the  air  shall  be 
made  vocal  with  the  music  of  the  feathered  race. 

AVe  have  before  observed  that  the  creation  was  not 
only  a  progressive,  but  an  ascending  work;  each 
successive  stage  introducing  not  simply  something 
additional,  but  something  higher  in  its  nature  and 
character.  First  we  have  the  creation  of  matter; 
second  the  aggregation  and  crystallization  of  matter 
into  various  rocks  and  minerals,  exhibiting  in  beautiful 
forms  and  order  the  arrangement  of  the  particles 
composing  them;  next  comes  vegetable  organization 
endowed  with  a  series  of  functions,  operating  in  a  most 
wonderful  manner  to  promote  the  growth  of  the  indivi- 
dual, and  to  secure  the  reproduction  and  continuance 
of  the  species ;  and  now,  we  are  caxried  forward  and 
upward  to  what  is  far  in  advance  of  all  this,  namely, 
to  animal  organization,  to  creatures  possessing  the 
properties  of  sensation,  perception  and  passion,  and 
acting  consciously  and  voluntarily  to  attain  still  higher 
ends.  Here  we  are  brought  to  contemplate  a  new 
principle  in  creation,  that  of  animal  life  and  its 
functions — a  principle  full  of  interest,  but  at  the  same 
time  full  of  mystery.  "  Every  effort  to  penetrate  into 
the  mysterious  temple  of  life  in  order  to  lay  bare  its 
principle  has  utterly  failed,  and  the  greatest  philoso- 
pher approaches  no  nearer  than  the  crowd."  The 
living  principle  God  has  reserved  as  a  secret  with 
Himself.  From  Him  and  with  Him  alone  are  "the 
issues  of  life."     "We  must,  therefore,  be  content  to  be 


THE   FIFTU    DAY.  361 

ignorant  of  it,  if  not  for  ever,  at  least  during  the  present 
twilight  of  our  existence. 

In  tracing  the  history  of  the  preceding  day,  we  have 
seen  how  "  the  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God ;"  and 
in  this,  and  that  which  follows,  we  shall  discover  how 
that  the  earth  also  is  full  of  the  riches  of  His  wisdom 
and  goodness.  Splendid  as  are  the  monuments  of  the 
Divine  power  and  wisdom  displayed  throughout  the 
j&rmament,  in  objects  fitted  by  their  stupendous  magni- 
tude and  distances  to  impress  the  imagination,  and 
overpower  us  by  tlieir  awful  grandeur ;  no  less 
impressive  (though  in  a  different  way,)  nor  less  replete 
with  wonder,  are  the  manifestations  of  these  attributes 
in  those  smaller  productions  of  His  hands — the  Living 
Tenants  of  our  globe — which,  being  more  on  a  level 
with  our  senses,  and  more  within  the  reach  of  our 
comprehension,  are  peculiarly  calculated  to  convince 
the  mind,  and  affect  the  heart  with  a  sense  of  the 
Divine  presence  and  agency.  Here  we  behold  scenes 
of  wonder  and  enchantment,  not  dimly  or  at  a  distance, 
like  the  planets  and  stars  of  heaven,  but  plainly  and 
within  the  reach  of  close  inspection  and  study.  Here 
meet  the  eye,  not  objects  of  mere  lifeless  matter,  but 
animated  and  sentient  beings,  free  and  conscious  in 
the  exercise  of  their  powers,  disporting  in  their  native 
elements,  revelling  in  the  bliss  of  existence,  and  by 
their  incessant  gambols  and  exuberance  of  joy,  plainly 
proclaiming  the  praises  of  Him,  who,  by  His  breath, 
created  them,  and  by  His  providence  cares  and  pro- 
vides for  them  all. 


362  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

And  God  said,  Let  the  waters  bring  forth  abundantly 
the  moving  creature  that  hath  life.  A  more  literal,  and, 
perhaps,  a  more  correct  rendering  would  have  been, 
the  rapidly  multiplyiny  creature ;  the  term  is  applied 
in  the  original  Scriptures  to  all  kinds  of  animals 
remarkable  for  fecundity,  which,  as  we  know,  is 
eminently  the  case  with  fishes  and  birds. 

And  fowl  that  may  fly  above  the  earth.  The  correct 
translation  is,  not  fowl,  but  flying  thing ;  so  that  the 
original  term  includes  all  living  creatures  that  can 
raise  themselves  into  the  air  by  means  of  wings,  insects 
as  well  as  birds. 

And  God  created  great  whales.  The  Hebrew  word 
denotes  not  only  the  larger  inhabitants  of  the  deep, 
but  also  great  reptiles,  and  amphibious  beasts. 

And  the  waters  brought  forth  the  living  creature  that 
movefh  after  his  hind,  and  every  wiiiged  fowl  after  his 
land.  Hence  it  appears  that  fowls,  as  well  as  fishes, 
were  made  out  of  the  water.  Sprung  thus  from  the 
same  element,  they  each  move  as  it  were  in  an  ocean 
of  their  own,  and  by  the  aid  of  similar,  though  not  the 
same  means.  The  operations  of  flying  and  swimming 
are  strikingly  analogous.  The  fish  may  be  said  to  fly 
in  the  water,  and  the  bird  to  swim  in  the  air.  The 
feathers  of  the  bird  answer  to  the  scales  of  the  fish ; 
and  the  wings  of  the  former  to  the  fins  of  the  latter ; 
while  the  tail  in  both  serves  for  a  rudder,  by  which 
each  steers  itself  through  the  waves  of  its  own  element. 

And    God  blessed  them,  and  said.   Be  fruitful  and 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  363 

multlplij.  That  is,  God  gave  them  power  to  proi^agate 
their  several  species  by  generation,  and  thus  to  increase 
into  a  countless  multitude.  And  it  is  in  virtue  of  this 
blessing  of  God  that  all  the  animated  tribes  of  the 
earth,  air,  and  sea,  have  continued  to  multiply  and 
increase  to  the  present  day. 

Water  is  pre-eminently  the  seat  of  life.  No  part  of 
the  surface  of  our  planet  is  more  fully  peopled,  or 
inhabited  by  greater  numbers  and  diversities  of  beauti- 
ful, or  strange,  or  monstrous  forms,  than  the  waters, 
whether  those  of  the  sea,  the  fresh  lakes,  the  sparkling 
streams,  or  the  stagnant  pools.  In  every  climate  from 
the  Northern  to  the  Southern  pole  water  abounds  with 
its  living  tenants;  and  from  the  lioor  of  the  ocean, 
where  its  depths  exceed  the  heights  of  our  loftiest 
mountains,  up  to  its  ruffled  surface,  every  successive 
stratum  of  its  waters  is  crowded  with  its  own  orders  of 
life.  There  is  not  a  bay  or  a  sound,  not  a  rod  or  a 
foot  of  water  upon  the  face  of  our  globe,  in  which  the 
power  of  the  great  Creator  is  not  displayed,  and  His 
will  executed,  by  some  species  of  animated  beings. 
The  creative  fiat  of  this  day  passed  through  all  the 
depths  of  the  sea,  extended  through  all  its  breadths, 
and  pervaded  and  animated  its  every  drop. 

In  the  work  of  the  fifth  day,  we  have  brought 
before  us  for  illustration,  whales  and  fishes,  birds  and 
insects ;  or  all  living  things  that  inhabit  the  water,  and 
that  fly  through  the  air — a  field  as  interesting  as  it  is 
extensive  to  every  devoted  student  of  God's  works. 


364  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

WHALES. 

And  God  made  great  whales. 

The  whale  family  embraces  not  only  the  animals 
commonly  designated  by  that  name,  but  also  the 
grampus,  por^Doise,  norwhal,  dolphin,  &c.  These  are 
remarkable  creatures,  as  they  are,  correctly  speaking, 
neither  beasts  nor  fishes,  but  a  connecting  link  between 
them.  As  to  their  outward  form,  place  of  abode, 
means  of  locomotion,  and  habits  of  life,  they  are  in  all 
particulars  like  fishes ;  but  their  whole  internal  econ- 
omy is  conducted  on  a  wholly  different  plan,  and 
nearly,  in  every  respect,  closely  resembles  that  of 
beasts.  Like  beasts  or  quadrupeds,  they  have  lungs, 
liver,  spleen,  and  bladder,  and  like  them,  too,  they 
have  a  heart  with  its  partitions,  driving  warm  and  red 
blood  in  circulation  through  the  body;  they  breathe 
the  air,  they  are  viviparous,  and  suckle  their  young. 
Thus  all  their  internal  parts  bear  a  close  resemblance 
to  land  animals,  while  they  live  wholly,  like  fish,  in 
the  oceans.  It  was,  therefore,  correct  and  aj)propriate 
in  Moses  to  give  them,  as  he  does  in  this  day's  history, 
a  distinct  specification. 

These  cetaceous  animals  are  the  most  gigantic  with 
which  it  has  pleased  God  to  people  our  globe.  The 
hugcst  inhabitants  of  the  dry  land,  even  the  elephant 
and  the  rhinoceros,  are  mere  pigmies  beside  them. 
The  cachalot,  or  sperm  whale,  often  attains  the  great 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  365 

length  of  sixty  or  seventy  feet;  while  the  common 
whale  has  been  found  over  a  hundred  feet  long,  and 
two  hundred  and  fifty  tons  in  weight.  Every  thing 
about  these  leviathans  of  the  deep  is  upon  a  colossal, 
and  almost  appalling  scale  of  magnitude.  Dr.  Hunter, 
who  dissected  a  whale,  gives  an  interesting  account  of 
its  parts  and  organs.  Its  spinal  column  in  strength 
and  thickness  may  be  compared  to  the  trunk  of  a  good 
sized  tree,  and  which,  in  its  thicker  parts,  is  made  up 
of  massive  vertebral  blocks,  bound  together  by  the 
toughest  ligaments  and  cartilages.  The  main  artery  is 
a  pipe  into  which  a  full  grown  man  might  creep  with 
ease ;  and  the  heart  is  an  engine  of  stupendous  power 
and  capacity,  throwing  out  from  twelve  to  fifteen  gal- 
Ions  of  blood  at  every  pulsation.  The  mouth  of  the 
common  whale,  when  distended,  is  capacious  enough  to 
engulf  a  boat  with  all  its  crew ;  its  mere  tongue  is  like 
a  vast  feather-bed,  on  which  half  a  dozen  men  might 
find  ample  room  for  repose.  Equally  marvellous  is  its 
great  strength ;  its  tail  is  flattened  out  into  a  massive 
plate,  Avhich  not  unfrequently  has  a  surface  of  a 
hundred  square  feet,  and  with  a  single  stroke  of  which 
it  can  dash  the  stoutest  boat  into  a  mass  of  fragments, 
and  scatter  its  daring  occupants  upon  the  waters  like 
so  many  insects.  Its  motions  are  extremely  powerful 
and  rapid.  When  confined  in  shallows  it  will  some- 
times leap  out  of  the  water,  and  come  down  with  a 
force  that  churns  it  into  foam.  And  in  deep  seas, 
when   alarmed   or   wounded,   it   has   been   known   to 


366  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

assume  a  perpendicular  position,  with  its  head  down- 
ward, and  rearing  aloft  its  tremendous  tail,  lash  the 
water  with  terrific  violence,  and  then  plunge  as  with 
one  spring  to  the  depth  of  4,000  or  5,000  feet — a  depth 
where,  according  to  Captain  Scorseby,  it  has  to  sustain 
a  pressure  of  more  than  200,000  tons!  The  tempest, 
in  the  hour  of  its  wildest  uproar,  is  its  pastime.  It 
pla3^s  with  the  storm-vexed  ocean,  ascends  the  crested 
summits  of  its  mountain  waves,  then,  "  like  a  cradled 
creature,"  lies  amid  their  deep  and  dismal  hollows,  as 
if  sporting  with  their  rage. 

To  the  whale  tribes  have  been  assigned,  as  their 
more  appropriate  habitations,  the  polar  regions  of  the 
globe;  and  very  striking  are  the  provisions  which 
adapt  them  for  their  cold  and  frozen  homes.  The 
encasement  or  covering  of  the  whale  is  of  a  singular 
structure ;  it  is  like  a  vastly  thick  hide  loosened  and 
opened  into  innumerable  interstices  or  cells,  which  are 
filled  with  oily  matter  called  blubber.  The  blubber 
thus  lodored  in  the  meshes  of  the  skin  invests  the 
whale  with  a  covering  that  is  from  two  to  three  feet 
in  thickness;  and  no  contrivance  can  be  imagined 
better  calculated  to  preserve  the  temperature  of  a 
warm-blooded  animal  exposed  to  the  intense  cold  of 
the  polar  seas.  This  blubber  covering  serves  also  as  a 
float  to  enable  it  to  swim  and  even  sleep  on  the  surface; 
while  it  is  of  the  most  essential  use  to  protect  it  against 
the  enormous  pressure  to  which  it  is  subjected  when 
travelling  at  great  depths. 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  367 

Some  of  tlie  whale  species  live  in  pairs,  and  some 
are  gregarious ;  some  are  lierbiverous,  and  graze  upon 
the  weeds  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  like  cattle  upon  the 
meadows ;  others  are  carnivorous,  everywhere  pursuing 
their  prey,  and  often  consigning  to  their  capacious 
stomachs  whole  shoals  of  the  smaller  fishes,  such  as  the 
clio  horealis,  at  a  single  swallow. 

Whales  possess  the  same  general  senses  as  land 
animals.  They  have  the  faculty  of  smelling;  and 
their  hearing  is  acute,  even  when  immersed  in  the 
water.  Their  eyes  are  so  placed  that  they  can  see 
behind  as  well  as  before  and  above,  and  that  for  a 
great  distance.  They  also  sleep.  Divine  goodness 
has  assigned  to  them,  too,  their  appropriate  means  and 
sources  of  happiness,  as  they  sufficiently  attest  by  their 
frequent  and  exuberant  gambols.  The  whale  is  like- 
wise remarkably  faithful  to  its  mate,  which  returns 
an  attachment  that  manifests  itself  even  unto  death. 
Parental  love  is  also  specially  marked  in  this  family. 
The  mother  and  her  calf  may  be  frequently  seen 
disporting  themselves  together  in  the  water ;  and  when 
danger  appears,  the  mother  either  hastily  bears  its 
young  one  off  to  a  safe  distance,  or  defends  it  bravely 
against  its  enemies ;  and  chooses  rather  to  perish  with 
it  than  to  desert  her  offspring. 

REFLECTIONS. 

The  works  of  the  Lord  are  perfect,  and  are  all  to 
the  praise  of  His  wisdom   and  power  and  goodness. 


368  THE   FIFTH  DAY. 

Even  the  huge  frames  of  these  leviathans  of  the  ocean 
display  the  perfection  of  workmanship.  Every  mem- 
ber and  organ,  every  fibre  of  the  muscles  that  wield 
their  ponderous  bones,  every  vein  and  artery  concerned 
in  driving  the  vital  fluid  through  their  immense  bodies, 
and  every  nerve  and  tissue  down  to  those  that  can  be 
discerned  and  examined  only  by  the  aid  of  the  micro- 
scope, are  finished  with  a  delicacy  and  perfection  that 
are  inimitable  and  unsurpassed.  Moreover,  in  the 
nature  of  these,  monsters  though  we  call  them,  the 
hand  of  the  Creator  has  planted  the  same  kind  and 
disinterested  afiection,  which  ennobles  the  most  exalted 
of  His  creatures  that  tread  the  solid  land,  and  claim 
kindred  with  the  skies.  And  to  these  instinctive  laws 
of  their  being  they  are  ever  found  faithful  and  constant; 
so  that  many  of  those  bearing  human  form  and  name, 
may  well  go  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  dismal  and 
frozen  oceans  of  the  earth,  to  learn  from  them  the 
important  lessons  of  conjugal  fidelity  and  parental 
affection. 

FISHES. 

Let  the  waters   bring  forth  abundantly  the  moving  creature  that 

hath  life. 

Of  fishes,  properly  so  called,  no  less  than  8,000 
different  species  have  been  examined  and  classified; 
and  many  more  doubtless  remain  yet  to  be  discovered. 
These  are  of  all  sizes^  from  the  enormous  wJiite  sharJcj 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  3(J9 

weighing  10,000  pounds,  and  armed  with  his  200 
sharp  and  iVightful  teeth,  down  to  the  diminutive  and 
harmless  minnow.  Tliey  are,  moreover,  of  every 
shape  and  structure  that  can  well  be  imagined.  It  has 
been  said  that  the  ocean  contains  representatives  of 
every  terrestrial  and  aerial  form ;  be  this  as  it  may,  cer- 
tain it  is  that  the  forms  of  fishes  are  more  singular, 
grotesque  and  monstrous  than  those  of  any  other 
department  of  animated  nature.  Many  fishes,  how- 
ever, are  creatures  of  exquisite  beauty,  both  as  to  form 
and  color.  Some  glisten  with  the  dazzling  brightness 
of  silver ;  some  appear  as  if  encased  in  burnished  gold ; 
and  some,  as  they  glide  through  their  native  element, 
reflect  all  the  varied  hues  of  the  rainbow.  But  of 
whatever  form  or  color  these  inhabitants  of  the  watery 
world  are  found,  all  are  most  wiselv  fashioned  for 
happy  existence  in  the  element  and  locality  to  which 
they  have  been  assigned;  while  every  peculiarity  of 
form,  and  every  varied  tint  or  shade  in  each  animal's 
structure,  has  been  contrived  and  adopted  with  a  view 
to  some  object  important  to  its  welfare,  or  essential  to 
the  end  of  its  being. 

Had  we  never  known  any  other  living  creatures 
than  those  of  the  dry  land  and  open  firmament,  we 
should  have  been  settled  in  the  conviction,  doubtless, 
that  the  functions  essential  to  life  could  not  be  per- 
formed in  such  an  element  as  water.  To  people  the 
ocean  would   have   appeared    to    us   an   impossibility. 

But  in  this,  as  in  a  thousand  other  things,  we  see  what 
24 


370  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

is  impossible  with  man  is  possible  with  God ;  and  find 
that  He  has  contrived  and  fasliioned  an  endless  variety 
of  creatures,  whose  forms  and  functions  and  faculties 
all  are  every  way  most  happily  adapted  even  to  this 
element.  Let  us  now  glance  at  some  of  these  adapta- 
tions ;  and  first  at 

The  Form  of  fishes.  The  external  shape  of  fishes, 
in  general,  is  much  the  same,  namely,  a  sharp  oval 
front,  gently  swelling  in  the  middle,  and  then  gradually 
narrowing  toward  the  hind  extremity.  Now,  this  is 
precisely  the  form,  as  has  been  mathematically  demon- 
strated, which  encounters  the  least  possible  amount  of 
resistance  in  cleaving  the  water,  and  consequently  the 
best  for  swiftness  and  ease  of  locomotion.  With  such 
a  form,  and  balanced  by  fijis  exquisitely  adjusted  to 
their  weight  and  habits,  and  buoyed  by  an  air-hladder, 
by  the  distension  or  compression  of  whiqji  tliey  can  rise 
or  sink  at  pleasure,  and  propelled  by  a  tail  of  powerful 
muscles,  fishes  are  capable  of  motion,  quick  or  slow,  in 
every  possible  direction.  The  velocity  and  ease  of 
their  movements  are  worthy  of  all  admiration.  "  No- 
thing is  more  graceful  and  elegant,"  says  Kirby,  "  than 
the  motions  of  fishes  in  their  own  pure  element.  Not 
to  mention  the  shifting  radiance  of  their  forms,  as  they 
glance  in  the  sunbeams,  their  extreme  flexibility,  and 
the  ease  with  which  they  glide  through  the  waters, 
give  to  their  motions  a  character  of  facile  progress, 
which  has  no  parallel,  unless,  perhaps,  in  the  varied 
flights  of  the  swift-winged  swallow.     How  rapidly  do 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  371 

they  glide,  and  are  lost  to  our  sight  by  a  mere  stroke 
of  their  tail.  At  another  time,  less  alarmed,  how 
quietly  do  they  suspend  themselves,  and  cease  all 
progressive  motion,  so  that  we  can  discover  that  they 
are  alive  only  by  the  fan-like  movement  of  their 
pectoral  fins,  an  action  which  seems  in  some  sort 
connected  with  their  respiration." 

We  discover  also  in  the  Covering  of  fishes  a  most 
happy  adaptation  to  their  appointed  element.  Among 
land  animals  we  see  a  great  variety  of  means  adopted 
for  their  protection,  such  as  hair,  feathers,  bristles, 
wool,  &c.;  but  it  is  obvious  that  none  of  these  would 
be  suitable  for  aquatic  creatures;  their  element  de- 
mands a  very  different  provision.  Accordingly,  we 
find  fishes  clothed  in  a  complete  suit  of  horny  scales, 
each  of  which  is  a  wonder  in  itself.  These  scales  are 
sometimes  joined  at  the  edges,  presenting  exquisite 
specimens  of  Mosaic  work;  but  most  commonly  they 
are  imbricated,  or  arranged  like  tiles  on  the  roof  of  a 
house,  and  are  covered  with  a  slimy  substance,  thus 
forming  a  perfectly  smooth  surface,  so  that  the  fish  can 
move  forward  with  the  utmost  ease.  Every  thing 
connected  with  this  protecting  provision  is  marked  by 
the  most  minute  and  kind  care  for  the  welfare  of  the 
creature.  Ilis  coat  of  mail  is  quite  impervious  to  the 
water,  and  thus,  though  always  immersed  in  it,  he  is 
never  wet  or  chilled. 

Another  striking  adaptation  in  fishes  is  their  peculiar 
Mode  of  Respiration.     This  they  perform,  not  by  lungs 


372  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

like  land  animals,  but  by  means  of  gills,  which  are 
formed  of  long  pointed  plates  covered  by  a  tissue  of 
innumerable  blood  vessels.  These  plates  are  arranged 
like  the  plumules  of  a  feather,  and  between  them  the 
water  is  kept  in  perpetual  flow;  and  from  the  air 
mixed  in  the  water  is  continually  extracted  the  neces- 
sary amount  of  oxygen  for  the  renovation  of  the  blood, 
which,  thus  purified,  is  carried  into  the  heart,  whence 
it  is  distributed  to  the  whole  body.  By  this  extraordi- 
nary process,  this  Divine  contrivance,  the  infinite  hosts 
of  fishes  are  enabled  to  breathe  as  easily  in  the  water 
as  we  do  in  the  air. 

The  Organs  of  Sight  in  fishes  present  us  with 
another  remarkable  instance  of  adaptation.  We  have 
already,  in  speaking  of  the  whale  family,  noticed  the 
admirable  position  selected  for  the  eyes  of  fishes,  so  as 
to  give  them  the  widest  range  of  vision.  We  shall 
now  mention  several  other  particulars.  The  eye  of 
fishes  is  so  constituted  that  contact  with  water,  even 
with  that  of  the  briny  ocean,  is  no  more  troublesome 
to  it  than  that  of  the  air  to  ours.  Again,  the  eye 
formed  for  perfect  vision  in  the  air  is  very  defective 
for  this  end  in  water.  If  we  make  the  experiment,  we 
shall  find,  however  good  our  eyes  may  be,  that  we 
cannot  see  distinctly  in  water ;  but  if  we  put  on  a  pair 
of  convex  spectacles,  our  vision  will  be  at  once 
improved,  so  that  we  can  discern  objects  with  distinct- 
ness even  in  that  element.  Now  this  modification  of 
the  sight  effected  by  glasses,  has  been  made  by  the 


THE   FIFTH  DAY.  373 

Creator  Himself  in  the  eyes  of  fishes,  so  that  they 
enjoy  the  advantages  of  perfect  vision.  Again,  the 
eyes  of  fishes,  in  general,  have  no  lids;  yet  those 
species  that,  like  the  eel,  bury  their  heads  in  sand  and 
mud,  are  covered  by  the  provident  care  of  God  by  a 
fine  membrane  for  their  protection.  But  the  most 
singular  kind  of  eye,  and  that  in  which  the  forethought 
of  the  Deity  is  most  conspicuous,  is  that  of  the  atialeps, 
a  viviparous  fish  of  the  rivers  of  Eastern  Asia ;  the  ball 
of  each  eye  is  divided  horizontally  into  two  hemispheres 
by  a  membranous  band,  and  each  half  is  a  perfect  organ 
of  vision ;  the  two  lower  halves  are  near-sighted,  and 
the  two  upper  long-sighted;  and  thus  the  animal  is 
enabled  with  one  pair  of  pupils  to  see  the  little  worms 
below  it  that  form  its  food,  and  with  the  other  pair  to 
descry  the  great  fishes,  its  enemies,  while  yet  at  a 
distance.  These  are  striking  facts,  indeed ;  but  a  micro- 
scopical examination  of  the  structure  of  the  eyes  of 
fishes,  reveals  to  us  others  that  are,  if  possible,  still 
more  wonderful.  The  crystalline  lens  in  the  eye  of  a 
codfish,  which  is  never  half  an  inch  in  diameter,  has 
been  proved  to  be  made  up  of  more  than  6,000,000  of 
fibres,  which  are  united  by  more  than  62,000,000,000 
of  teeth ! 

Fishes  appear  to  be  endowed  with  the  Senses  common 
to  land  animals.  Those  of  touch  and  taste  are  sup- 
posed to  be  feeble,  in  general ;  though  some  are 
furnished  with  flexible  feelers,  or  organs  of  touch. 
Their  organs  of  smelling  and  hearing  are  more  acute, 


374  THE    FIFTH  DAY. 

and  are  in  their  structure  happily  adapted  to  the 
element  in  which  they  live.  These  latter  senses  have 
no  external  avenues,  as  in  land  animals ;  for  immediate 
and  perpetual  contact  with  the  dense  element  of  water 
would  soon  prove  ruinous  to  their  delicate  and  sensitive 
nerves.  Smelling  is  said  to  be  the  most  acute  of  all 
their  senses.  The  olfactory  membrane  and  nerves  in 
them  are  of  remarkable  extent;  in  a  large  shark  they 
expand  over  a  surface  of  no  less  than  twelve  or  thirteen 
square  feet.  Hence,  by  this  sense  the  finny  tribes  can 
discover  their  prey  or  their  enemies  at  a  great  distance, 
and  direct  their  course  in  the  thickest  darkness,  and 
amid  the  most  agitated  waves. 

Possessing  the  foregoing  faculties,  fishes  are  not 
without  a  degree  of  Sagacity.  They  have  been  found 
even  capable  of  instruction,  and  been  taught  to  come 
when  called  by  their  names,  and  to  assemble  for  their 
food  at  the  sound  of  a  whistle  or  bell.  They  are  said 
to  be  among  the  most  long-lived  of  all  animals.  The 
carp  has  been  known  to  reach  more  than  a  hundred 
years  of  age.  And  Kirby  relates  that  a  pike  was 
taken  in  1754,  at  Kaiserslautern,  which  had  a  ring 
fastened  to  the  gill  covers,  from  which  it  appeared  to 
have  been  put  into  the  pond  of  that  castle  by  order  of 
Frederick  II.  in  1487 — a  period  of  two  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  years. 

Fishes  excel  in  Strength,  and  seem  to  be  capable  of 
prolonged  exertion  without  apparent  fatigue.  Even 
the  feathered  tribe,  in  this,  must  yield  the  palm  to  the 


THE    FIFTH   DAY.  375 

finny  race.  The  shark  will  out- travel  the  eagle,  and 
the  salmon  will  out-strip  the  swallow  in  speed.  The 
thunny  will  dart  with  the  rapidity  of  an  arrow,  and 
the  herring  will  travel  for  days  and  weeks  at  the  rate 
of  sixteen  miles  an  hour,  without  respite  or  repose. 
Sharks  have  been  observed  to  follow  and  play  around 
a  ship  through  its  whole  voyage  across  the  Atlantic ; 
and  the  same  fish,  when  harpooned,  has  been  known 
to  drag  a  vessel  of  heavy  tonnage  at  a  high  speed 
against  wind  and  tide. 

Connected  wdth  the  Instincts  and  natural  Habits  of 
fishes  are  many  remarkable  facts,  but  which  we  can 
barely  mention.  Some  are  herbiverous,  and  live 
entirely  on  aquatic  plants;  while  others  are  carnivor- 
ous, and  prey  upon  weaker  tribes.  As  an  illustration 
of  the  voracity  of  the  latter  class,  we  may  mention, 
that  at  a  public  lecture  delivered  at  Dublin,  there  was 
exhibited  the  skeleton  of  a-  frog-fish,  two  and  a  half 
feet  in  length,  in  whose  stomach  the  skeleton  of  a  cod 
two  feet  long  w^as  found.  Within  the  cod  were  con- 
tained two  whitings  of  the  ordinary  size,  while  in 
the  stomach  of  each  whiting  were  found  numerous 
half-digested  fishes,  which  were  too  small  and  broken 
down  to  admit  of  preservation.  Some  fishes  are 
capable  of  uttering  sounds ;  the  gurnards  when  drawn 
out  of  the  water  will  croak  oddly.  Some  can  dart  out 
of  the  water,  and,  like  birds,  sustain  themselves  in 
short  flights  through  the  air  with  their  fins.  Various 
species  are  wonderfully  tenacious  of  life ;  the  carp  may 


376  THE    FIFTH  DAY. 

be  kept  alive  for  weeks  in  wet  moss;  and  the  eel, 
taken  and  skinned,  will  leap  out  of  the  frying-pan. 
Some  are  capable  of  performing  journeys  even  over 
land;  eels  are  in  the  habit  of  leaving  the  water  in 
dewy  nights,  and  wander  about  the  fields  in  search  of 
worms;  in  China,  there  is  a  fish  that  crosses  the 
meadows  at  its  pleasure  from  one  creek  to  another, 
often  a  quarter  of  a  mile  asunder ;  the  flat-head  hassar, 
a  fish  abounding  in  Essequibo,  when  the  pools  in  which 
they  live  dry  up,  will  resolutely  march  in  droves  over 
dry  land  in  search  of  others,  and  using  their  serrated 
fins  for  legs,  will  push  themselves  forward  as  fast  as  a 
man  ordinarily  walks,  always  taking  a  direct  course  for 
the  nearest  water,  though  it  may  be  altogether  out  of 
sight.  Another  species,  found  in  Tranquebar,  not  only 
creep  upon  shore,  but  even  climb  the  fan-palm,  and 
seek  their  insect  food  among  its  leaves  and  branches. 
Very  wonderful,  indeed,  are  facts  such  as  these,  and 
most  clearly  do  they  prove  that  when  the  Creator  gave 
their  being  to  these  animals.  He  foresaw  the  circum- 
stances in  which  they  would  be  placed,  and  mercifully 
implanted  within  them  an  instinct  for  their  guidance, 
and  provided  them  with  the  means  of  escape  from  the 
dangers  to  which  they  would  necessarily  be  exposed. 

Another  notable  fact  in  this  day's  history,  and  one 
specially  demanding  note  and  illustration,  is  the  Fecun- 
dity of  fishes.  And  God  blessed  them,  saying,  Be 
fruit  fid,  and  midtiply,  and  fill  the  waters  in  the  seas. 
This  "blessing"  is  to   be  regarded,  not  simply  as  a 


THE    FIFTH   DAY.  377 

solemn  word  of  command,  but  the  imparting  of 
reproducing  energies  to  the  varied  tribes  of  the  deep. 
And  to  sec  how  effective  this  blessing  was,  we  need 
but  look  at  the  results  which  followed.  Nothing  can 
exceed  that  "abundance"  brought  forth.  If  we  atr 
tempt  to  estimate  the  number  of  eggs  in  the  roes  of 
various  kind  of  fish,  we  may  be  able  to  form  some  faint 
conception  of  it.  The  roe  of  the  cod-fish,  according  to 
Harmer's  estimate,  contains  3,686,000  eggs;  of  the 
flounder  225,000;  of  the  mackerel  500,000;  of  the 
tench  350,000;  of  the  carp  203,000;  of  the  roach 
100,000;  of  the  sole  nearly  100,000;  of  the  pike 
50,000 ;  of  the  herring,  the  perch,  and  the  smelt  from 
20,000  to  30,000.  Other  species  are  equally  prolific. 
Such  numbers  present  an  idea  of  fecundity  that  is  truly 
overwhelming.  It  must  be  observed,  however,  that  a 
large  projDortion  of  the  eggs  deposited  are  destroyed  in 
various  ways ;  they  are  eagerly  sought  after  by  other 
fishes,  by  aquatic  birds,  and  by  reptiles,  as  food ;  and 
in  the  young  state,  they  are  pursued  and  devoured  by 
larger  ones  of  their  own  species,  as  well  as  by  those  of 
others.  Still  the  numbers  which  arrive  at  maturity 
surpass  all  comprehension^  as  appears  from  the  count- 
less myriads  of  those  that  are  of  gregarious  and 
migratory  habits. 

Impelled  and  guided  by  that  mysterious  power  we 
call  instinct,  fishes,  at  certain  seasons,  migrate  and 
travel  in  immense  droves  to  seek  a  suitable  place  and 
temperature  for  the  reproduction  of  their  species.    Vast 


378  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

migrations  take  place  from  the  ocean  into  all  the  rivers 
of  the  earth ;  the  salmon  and  others  often  ascend  large 
streams  in  great  numbers  for  hundreds  and  even  thou- 
sands of  miles.  Vaster  yet  by  far  are  the  migrations 
that  occur  in  the  ocean  from  one  region  to  another. 
The  migratory  tribes  of  the  sea  are  very  numerous; 
of  these,  among  the  best  known  is  the  cod;  at 
spawning  time  these  fish  proceed  northward,  and 
frequent  the  shallows  of  the  ocean,  such  as  the  Banks 
of  Newfoundland,  where  they  are  found  in  infinite 
multitudes.  The  haddock  resorts,  in  like  manner,  to 
northern  coasts,  and  has  been  found  in  immense  shoals 
of  more  than  twenty  miles  long  and  three  miles  broad. 
The  mackerel  also  is  a  migratory  tribe ;  these  winter 
in  the  Arctic  and  Antarctic  oceans,  from  whence  in 
the  spring  they  emerge  from  their  hiding  places  in 
innumerable  myriads,  and  proceed  to  more  genial  seas 
to  deposit  their  eggs.  The  thunny  travels  for  the 
same  end  in  numbers  wUhoiit  number.  But  the  most 
notable  of  all  the  migratory  species  are  the  herrings ; 
these,  like  many  others,  pass  the  winter  in  high 
northern  latitudes,  and,  at  different  times  through  the 
summer,  proceed  southward  in  search  of  food,  and  to 
deposit  their  spawn.  Some  idea  of  their  numbers  may 
be  formed  from  the  vast  quantities  that  are  taken. 
Many  years  since,  when  the  business  was  prosecuted 
on  a  more  limited  scale  than  at  present,  it  was  reported 
that  on  the  coast  of  Norway  no  less  than  20,000,000 
were  frequently  taken  at  a  single  fishing ;  and  that  the 


TUE   FIFTH  DAY.  379 

average  capture  of  the  season  exceeded  400,000,000. 
At  Gotteiiberg,  700,000,000  were  annually  caught. 
Yet  all  these  millions  were  but  a  fraction  of  the 
numbers  taken  by  the  English,  Dutch,  and  other 
nations.  But  all  that  are  taken  by  all  nations,  put 
together,  are  no  more  missed  from  the  countless  hosts 
of  the  ocean  than  a  drop  out  of  the  full  bucket.  Their 
shoals,  says  Kirby,  consist  of  millions  of  myriads,  and 
are  many  leagues  in  width,  many  fathoms  in  depth, 
and  so  dense  that  the  fishes  touch  each  other ;  and 
this  stream  continues  to  move  at  a  rapid  rate  past  any 
particular  point  nearly  all  summer.  If,  then,  these 
single  groups  of  a  few  species  that  happen  to  fall  under 
the  observation  of  man  be  thus  numerous,  or  rather 
innumerable,  it  is  obvious  that  the  aggregate  of  all  the 
orders,  genera,  and  species,  making  up  the  whole  popu- 
lation of  the  deep,  must  infinitely  transcend  all  the 
powers  of  human  enumeration !  Hence  we  see  how 
has  been  fulfilled  in  these  creatures  the  great  command, 
which  became  to  them  the  law  of  their  being.  Be 
fridtful,  and  multiphj,  and  fill  the  waters  of  the  sea. 

In  the  foregoing  facts  we  observe  this  striking  con- 
trast between  the  inhabitants  of  the  water  and  those 
of  the  land — that  where  the  latter  bring  forth  one,  the 
former  produce  a  thousand,  or  even  a  million.  If  no 
check  were  provided  for  this  extraordinary  tendency  to 
increase,  even  the  ocean,  vast  as  it  is,  would  become 
overstocked ;  soon  there  would  be  in  it  no  room  for 
motion;     and    in   process   of    time    its   waters   would 


380  THE   FIFTH  DAY. 

become  a  mass  of  corruption,  that  would  prove  detri- 
mental to  the  whole  globe.  Buffon  estimated  that  a 
pair  of  herrings,  if  left  undisturbed  for  twent}''  years, 
would  produce  a  progeny  whose  bulk  would  equal  that 
of  the  entire  globe !  To  restrain  this  rapidity  of 
increase,  and  to  avoid  these  evils,  numerous  oceanic 
tribes  have  been  ordained  to  prey  upon  others,  espe- 
cially upon  those  of  the  more  prolific  kind.  And 
this  leads  us  to  notice  another  class  of  remarkable 
contrivances,  namely, 

The  means  of  attach  a7id  defence  with  which  fishes 
are  provided.  These  are  as  various  as  they  are  won- 
derful. The  most  common  instruments  of  assault  are 
teeth,  and  the  most  general  means  of  escape  is  superior 
speed.  The  mouths  of  many,  and  even  the  tongues  of 
some  of  the  great  monsters  of  the  deep,  are  literally 
planted  with  teeth ;  so  that  whatever  liapjoens  in 
anywise  to  come  between  them  stands  but  a  slight 
chance  of  escape.  Some  elude  their  enemies  and  decoy 
their  victims  by  stratagems  so  ingenious,  as  almost  to 
indicate  reflection  and  contrivance ;  and  thus  they 
effect  by  cunning  what  they  could  never  accomplish  by 
pursuit.  The  fish  vulgarly  called  the  Sea-devil,  often 
six  or  seven  feet  long,  possessing  neither  force  of  limbs, 
nor  celerity  in  swimming,  buries  itself  in  the  mud  or 
covers  itself  with  seaweed,  and  lets  no  part  of  itself  be 
perceived  but  the  extremity  of  the  filaments  that  fringe 
its  body,  which  it  agitates  in  different  directions,  so  as 
to  make  them  appear  like  worms  or  other  baits ;  little 


THE    FIFTH  DAY.  3gl 

fishes,  attracted  by  this  apparent  prey,  approach,  and 
in  an  instant  they  are  caught,  and  go  down  alive  into 
its  enormous  throat.  Other  species  are  armed  as  with 
spears  and  swords;  the  norwhal  is  furnished  with  a 
most  formidable  nasal  horn,  projecting  from  the  upper 
jaw  to  the  length  of  ten  or  twelve  feet,  and  of  four 
inches  diameter  at  the  base;  this  is  wreathed  in  a 
curious  and  beautiful  manner  as  it  tapers  to  a  point, 
and  is  of  a  substance  much  whiter,  harder,  and  heavier, 
than  common  ivory.  The  terrible  sword-fish  is  simi- 
larly armed  with  a  long  bony  snout,  exceedingly 
sharp  and  strong,  with  Avhich  it  transfixes  its  prey,  or 
whatever  offends  it;  it  is  the  special  enemy  of  the 
whale,  and  sometimes,  mistaking  the  hull  of  a  ship  for 
this  animal,  it  will  plunge  at  it  with  terrible  power ;  in 
one  instance  it  thus  attacked  an  East-Indiaman  with 
so  prodigious  a  force  as  to  drive  its  sword  completely 
through  the  bottom  of  the  ship,  and  must  have  sunk 
it  by  the  leak,  had  not  the  animal  been  killed  by  the 
violence  of  its  own  exertion,  in  consequence  of  which 
the  snout  remained  imbedded  in  the  ribs  of  the  ship, 
and  no  leak  of  any  extent  was  produced.  A  fragment 
of  this  vessel,  with  the  sword  still  buried  in  it,  is 
preserved  as  a  curiosity  in  the  British  Museum.  Other 
species  again,  such  as  the  hag,  will  dart  at  larger  fishes, 
and  adhere  to  their  sides  by  creating  a  vacuum  by 
means  of  its  lips ;  this  effected,  there  it  remains  in 
spite  of  every  struggle,  lacerating  them  with  its  teeth, 
and  sucking  their  juices  and  their  blood  like  the  leech ; 


382  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

and  when  this  animal  is  itself  threatened  with  an 
attack,  it  has  the  power  of  exuding  from  its  body  a 
certain  excrement,  which,  mixing  with  the  water  about 
it,  renders  it  invisible  to  its  foe.  Again,  numerous 
species  of  fishes  are  endued  with  the  remarkable  power 
of  emitting  sudden  flashes  of  light,  like  the  reflection 
of  the  full  moon ;  and  when  many  of  these  enormous 
creatures  swim  together,  they  appear  like  a  vast  pro- 
cession of  great  lights  moving  through  the  waters, 
and  present  a  singular  and  most  startling  spectacle; 
their  phosphoric  flashes  are  supposed  to  frighten  and 
put  to  flight  their  enemies,  and,  perhaps,  to  dazzle  and 
bewilder  their  appointed  prey.  Other  tribes  of  the 
watery  world  are  furnished  with  long  snouts,  fashioned, 
not  like  the  blade  of  a  sword  or  spear,  but  like  the 
barrel  of  a  gun,  through  which  they  shoot  drops  of 
liquid  at  insects  and  caterpillars  they  may  see  near 
them  on  the  margins  of  lakes  and  rivers;  and  so 
accurately  do  they  aim  that  they  seldom  miss  their 
game.  But  of  all  the  diversified  powers  and  organs 
with  which  fishes  have  been  endowed,  either  for  attack 
or  defence,  the  most  wonderful  is  the  electric  battery, 
with  which  several  species  have  been  furnished,  and 
by  means  of  which  they  can  smite,  benumb,  and  kill 
other  inhabitants  of  the  water.  In  the  torpedo  many 
hundreds  of  pipes  go  to  constitute  its  battery,  and  with 
which  it  can  inflict  an  invisible  stroke  more  to  be 
dreaded  than  the  teeth  of  the  shark  itself  The 
gymnotus  or  electric  eel,  is  a  more  tremendous  assail- 


THE    FIFTU   DAY.  383 

ant  still,  as  its  discharges  are  said  to  be  ten  times  more 
powerful  than  those  of  the  torpedo;  even  mules  and 
liorses  adventuring  into  their  waters  have  often  been 
killed  by  these  animals.  They  are  able  to  send  their 
electric  shocks  through  the  water,  and,  according  to 
Lacepede,  kill  smaller  animals  at  the  distance  of 
sixteen  feet. 

REFLECTIONS 

We  have  now  surveyed  the  faculties,  organs  and 
powers  with  which  the  Creator  has  seen  fit  to  furnish 
the  inhabitants  of  the  deep,  and  whereby  they  are 
enabled  to  secure  their  necessary  sustenance,  repel 
their  enemies  or  elude  their  pursuit,  and  fitted  to  keep 
the  aquatic  population,  of  whatever  kind,  within  due 
and  needful  limits.  And  in  these  faculties  and  organs, 
what  fertility  of  resources,  what  varied  inventions  and 
contrivances  do  we  behold!  How  manifest  the  Divine 
wisdom,  power  and  goodness,  and  how  clear  the 
providing  and  ruling  agency  of  providence,  even  in  all 
the  deep  places  of  the  sea !  Deficiencies  that  would 
seem  fatal  are  compensated  by  endowments  that  the 
mind  of  man  would  never  have  conceived ;  and  diffi- 
culties that  would  appear  insurmountable  overcome  by 
expedients,  which  both  amaze  and  confound  us  as  we 
view  them.  We  see  every  creature  happily  adapted 
to  its  situation,  however  desolate  or  forlorn ;  and 
furnished  with  faculties  equal  to  all  the  exigencies  of 
his  lot,  however  desperate.     While  all,  all  that  move 


384  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

through  the  deep  paths  of  the  ocean,  whether  harmless 
or  destructive,  devouring  or  devoured,  glorify  their 
Almighty  Author,  by  doing  or  by  suffering  the  wise 
appointments  of  His  will. 

CRUSTACEANS. 
The  great  and  wide  sea,  wherein  are  things  creeping  innumerable. 

Among  the  living  things  which  the  water  brought 
forth  abundantly,  was  a  class  of  creatures  which 
naturalists  range  under  the  above  term,  and  which 
embraces  lobsters,  crabs,  prawns,  shrimps,  sea-spiders, 
&c.,  animals  that  are  encased  in  hard  but  articulated 
shells.  Of  the  crustacean  race  there  exist  in  the 
waters  a  great  many  hundreds  of  species,  of  which  we 
cannot  speak  in  detail.  These  are  creatures  of  remark- 
able structure,  complicated  in  form,  and  covered,  not 
with  skin  or  scales,  but  with  a  hard  unyielding  crust. 
They  are  furnished  either  with  three  or  four  pairs  of 
legs,  each  composed  of  five  joints  curiously  hinged 
together.  In  addition  to  these,  some  of  the  species 
have  a  pair  of  powerful  claws,  resembling  the  finger 
and  thumb  pressed  together,  for  seizing  and  conveying 
food  to  their  mouths.  Many  of  them  are  also  possessed 
of  a  greater  or  less  number  of  long  and  slender  feelers. 
They  are,  in  general,  creatures  of  active  habits,  keen 
vision,  and  acute  powers  of  smelling  and  taste;  and 
have  their  peculiar  system  of  nerves,  respiration,  cir- 
culation,   and    digestion,    each    presenting,    on    close 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  385 

examination,  a  system  of  wonders  in  itself.  But  here 
our  plan  compels  us  to  confine  our  notice  to  a  single 
species,  the  lobster ;  and  this  must  suffice  to  convey  a 
general  idea  of  all  the  rest  of  this  class. 

The  general  form  of  the  lobster  is  that  indicated 
above.  It  has  four  pairs  of  legs ;  the  two  anterior  pairs 
are  furnished  with  small  pincers  at  the  extremities. 
Besides  all  these,  it  has  two  claws  which  are  very 
complicated  in  their  structure,  and  instruments  of 
great  power,  holding  whatever  they  seize  so  firmly 
that  it  is  impossible  to  extricate  it  without  breaking 
the  claws.  Its  antennae  or  feelers,  which  are  about  as 
long  as  its  body,  consist  of  long  and  slender  filaments 
composed  of  a  great  number  of  pieces  articulated 
together.  Unlike  many  species  of  this  family,  the 
lobster  is  better  formed  for  swimming  than  walking ; 
its  tail  is  the  principal  agent  used  for  this  purpose, 
which  strikes  the  water  from  behind  forwards,  conse- 
quently it  can  only  swim  backwards.  The  tail  is  very 
strons:,  one  stroke  of  which  will  often  carrv  the  animal 
a  distance  of  twenty  or  thirty  feet.  The  lobster 
continues  to  grow  through  a  good  part  of  its  life,  and 
has  been  known  to  attain  the  age  of  twenty  years. 

The  blessing  of  fecundity  and  increase  we  find  was 
effective  in  the  crustacean,  as  well  as  in  the  other 
inhabitants  of  the  sea.  The  lobster  produces  no  less 
than  12,000  eggs ;  these  it  carries  concealed  and  pro- 
tected   under    its    broad    tail.      As   the    temperature 

increases   toward   midsummer,  small  live  lobsters  are 
25 


386  THE   FIFTH  DAY. 

found  among  the  eggs,  of  the  size  of  an  ant,  which 
remain  attached  to  the  fibres  of  the  mother,  and  are 
fostered  there  until  all  the  eggs  are  hatched.  Soon 
after,  they  detach  themselves  from  these  fibres,  and 
cling  to  the  roots  and  stems  and  leaves  of  marine 
plants,  till  they  are  sufficiently  large  and  strong  to 
abandon  themselves  to  the  waves. 

The  solid  casing  of  the  lobster  does  not  admit  of 
increase  or  extension,  so  that  in  order  to  allow  of  the 
growth  of  its  body  and  limbs,  it  is  necessary  that  it  be 
cast  off,  and  exchanged  for  a  new  shell  of  larger 
dimensions.  This  is  done  annually,  and  is  among  the 
most  wonderful  of  all  the  processes  observed  in  the 
animal  kingdom.  Toward  the  end  of  spring,  when 
food  is  plentiful,  the  body  and  limbs  begin  to  expand ; 
"  this  goes  on  till  at  length  it  is  productive  of  much 
uneasiness  to  the  animal,  which  is  in  consequence 
prompted  to  make  violent  efforts  to  relieve  itself;  by 
this  means  it  generally  succeeds  in  bursting  the  shell, 
and  then,  by  dint  of  repeated  struggles,  extricates  its 
body  and  its  limbs.  The  lobster  first  withdraws  its 
claws,  and  then  its  feet,  as  if  it  were  pulling  them  out 
of  a  pair  of  boots ;  the  head  next  throws  off  its  case, 
together  with  its  antennae;  and  the  two  eyes  are 
disengaged  from  their  horny  pedicles.  In  this  opera- 
tion, not  only  the  complex  apparatus  of  the  jaws,  but 
even  the  horny  cuticle  and  teeth  of  the  stomach  are  all 
cast  off  along  with  the  shell ;  and  last  of  all,  the  tail  is 
extricated.     But  the  whole  process  is  not  accomplished 


THE    FIFTH   DAY.  337 

without  long-continued  efforts.  Sometimes  the  legs 
are  lacerated,  or  even  torn  off,  in  the  attempt  to 
withdraw  them  from  the  shell.  But  this  animal 
possesses  the  wonderful  power  of  speedily  replacing  a 
lost  limb  by  the  production  of  a  new  one  from  the 
stump." — Roget. 

After  the  whole  shell  is  cast  off,  the  lobster  suddenly 
expands,  and  grows  in  all  its  parts  full  one-fifth  of  its 
former  dimensions ;  but  it  is  left  a  weak  and  most 
defenceless  creature ;  its  limbs  are  so  soft  that  they 
bend  like  wet  paper ;  still  it  manages  to  crawl  to  some 
secluded  retreat.  And  here  we  are  called  to  behold 
and  admire  the  kind  care  and  provision  of  the  Creator. 
For  some  time  previous  to  the  moulting,  a  secretion  of 
materials  had  been  going  on,  and  laid  up  within  the 
body  of  the  animal,  to  furnish  him  with  a  new  suit; 
these  materials  are  now  rapidly  distributed  over  its 
every  part,  and  within  the  short  period  of  three  days, 
are  hardened  into  a  perfect  and  complete  shell  like  the 
former. 

REFLECTIONS. 

The  moulting  process  in  the  lobster,  and  in  all  the 
crustacean  species,  is  in  all  its  parts  and  stages  most 
wonderful,  indeed.  Here  is  a  little  creature,  low  in 
the  scale  of  animated  nature,  taught  to  lay  aside  a  suit 
of  solid  garments,  from  which  it  would  have  puzzled 
and  baffled  the  intellect  of  man  to  extricate  it.  Here 
is  a  provision  made  prospectively  for  a  new  suit — a 


388  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

provision  made  to  meet  a  necessity  which  the  creature 
as  yet  neither  feels  nor  foresees.  Here  is  a  suit  of 
gelatinous  and  calcareous  armour  promptly  fabricated, 
hardened  and  polished,  after  profound  chemical  princi- 
ples, yet  without  the  least  knowledge  of  that  science ! 
Have  we  not  here,  then,  the  most  convincing  of 
evidences  that  the  hand  of  God  is  concerned  in  all  this, 
and  that  He  is  present  even  with  every  living  thing 
that  moveth  through  the  deep  places  of  the  sea  ? 

MOLLUSCANS, 

And  God  et^eated  every  living  creature  that  moveth,  which  the  waters 

brought  forth  abundantly. 

The  term  molluscan  is  derived  from  the  Latin  word 
mollis,  soft,  and  under  it  are  classified  an  infinite  host 
of  soft-bodied  animals,  encased  more  or  less  completely 
in  hard  calcareous  shells.  These  all  are  to  be  reckoned 
among  the  creations  of  the  fifth  day ;  like  fishes,  they 
were  produced  out  of  the  water,  and  in  the  water  they 
find  their  appropriate  abode.  Of  shell-animals  more 
than  11,000  different  species  have  been  discovered  and 
examined;  and  yet  this  number,  doubtless,  is  but  a 
part  of  what  the  great  ocean  contains ;  for  not  only  its 
shores  and  shallows,  but  even  the  floor  of  its  greatest 
depths  throughout,  are  paved  with  them.  The  living 
tenants  of  these  shells  seem  to  be  endlessly  diversified 
as  to  their  sizes,  forms,  faculties  and  habits ;  while  all 
present  most  interesting  subjects  of  study  to  the  pious 


THE    FIFTH  DAY.  389 

student,  as  so  many  displays  of  the  wisdom  and  power 
and  goodness  of  the  Great  Creator. 

The  shells  themselves  are  objects  of  rare  interest. 
Their  forms  and  organizations  are  truly  wonderful. 
Their  colors,  too,  are  often  so  intensely  vivid,  so  richly 
disposed,  and  so  fancifully  variegated,  that  as  objects 
of  beauty  they  rival  many  of  the  most  esteemed  pro- 
ductions of  the  vegetable  kingdom.  In  some  instances, 
they  closely  resemble  the  work  of  art;  the  beautiful 
music  shell  has  the  five  lines  and  dotted  notes,  as  if  the 
sirens  had  written  upon  it  the  music  which  constantly 
sounds  within.  In  their  outlines  and  configurations 
they  exhibit  an  endless  variety.  Some  are  shaped  like 
a  cup  or  tube ;  some  appear  in  the  form  of  cones,  and 
spires,  and  columns;  and  others  present  the  most 
graceful  and  delicate  convolutions,  and  the  most  com- 
plicated articulations. 

Shell-fishes  are  distinguished  as  univalve,  bivalve, 
and  multivalve,  according  to  the  number  of  pieces  that 
compose  their  shells.  In  some  species,  there  are  male 
and  female  shells ;  in  others,  both  sexes  are  inclosed  in 
the  same  shell ;  while  in  others  still,  the  two  sexes  are 
united  in  the  same  individual.  Some  are  oviparous ; 
and  some  are  viviparous,  their  offspring  are  brought 
forth  encased  complete  in  their  tiny  shells.  Some 
families  are  herbivorous,  and  may  be  seen  grazing  in 
large  droves;  others  are  predaceous,  and  watch  and 
seize  their  victims.  Some  travel  about,  and  some 
remain  fixed  to  the  same  spot  while  they  live.     So 


390  THE   FIFTH  BAY. 

manifold    are   the   works   of    God   even   in   this   low- 
province  of  animated  nature. 

The  univalve  class  are  the  most  numerous  of  shell- 
fishes, and  exhibit  the  greatest  variety  of  forms.  In 
general,  they  are  more  or  less  regularly  of  a  spiral 
structure.  Among  the  most  curious  of  these  are  the 
murex,  so  highly  valued  by  the  ancients  for  its  purple 
dye ;  the  volute  or  mitre,  including  those  fine  polished 
spiral  shells,  which  so  often  ornament  the  chimney- 
piece,  sometimes  embellished  with  dots,  and  at  other 
times  with  bands  of  various  hues;  the  stromhus, 
comprising  the  larger  shells  appropriated  to  the  same 
purpose,  spiral  like  the  volute,  but  with  a  large 
expanding  lip  spreading  into  a  groove,  and  projecting 
into  lobes ;  the  coiories,  which  have  long  been  known 
and  admired  for  their  beauty  and  polish,  and  which 
form  the  current  coin  in  many  parts  of  Africa,  and  in 
several  of  the  Asiatic  Islands ;  but  the  most  beautiful 
of  all  this  class  of  shells,  and  one  of  the  rarest  known, 
is  the  carlnaria  vitrea,  which  is  of  extreme  delicacy 
and  fragility,  and  nearly  as  transparent  as  glass,  its 
owner  is  a  sailor,  and  in  it  often  skims  along  the  surface 
of  the  deep.  This,  however,  is  not  the  only  univalve 
that  is  capable  of  navigating  the  sea.  The  violet  snails, 
as  they  are  called,  when  the  sea  is  calm,  may  fre- 
quently be  seen  collected  in  large  bands,  swinmiing 
gayly  and  happily  together.  The  hyaloea  genus  will 
do  the  same,  and  when  its  beautifully  colored  little 
sails  are  expanded^  it  moves  with  great  velocitj^,  like  a 


THE   FIFTH  DAY.  391 

butterfly  on  the  surface  of  the  sea.  But  tlie  most 
celebrated  of  all  in  this  respect  is  the  nautllwi ;  the 
shell  of  this  little  animal  is  lined  with  a  layer  of  a 
most  beautiful  pearly  gloss,  and  in  the  East  is  manu- 
factured into  drinking  cups;  the  nautilus  has  eight 
arms,  two  of  which  are  furnished  at  the  extremities 
with  a  thin  oval  membrane,  which  it  can  at  pleasure 
raise  and  expand  to  the  gale,  while  the  other  six 
stretch  over  the  sides  of  the  shell,  and  are  used  as  oars. 
Impelled  by  the  breeze,  this  little  animal  in  its  tender 
bark  has  the  appearance  of  a  vessel  under  sail,  and 
glides  with  ease  and  grace  along  the  surface  of  the 
deep ;  when  danger  appears,  it  instantly  furls  its  sail, 
catches  in  all  its  oars,  turns  its  shell  mouth  downward, 
and  by  letting  a  little  water  into  its  hold,  sinks  into 
the  safer  and  more  tranquil  regions  beneath  the  surface. 
The  bivalves  are  found  to  be  headless  creatures,  and 
destitute  of  the  senses  of  sight,  hearing  and  smelling ; 
they  are  furnished,  however,  with  gills,  heart  and 
nerves.  To  many  of  them  has  also  been  given  one 
soft  fleshy  foot,  which  they  can  thrust  out  between 
their  shells  at  pleasure,  for  the  performance  of  a 
variety  of  operations;  by  means  of  this  humble,  and 
M'hat  we  would  call  a  very  imperfect  instrument,  they 
can  turn  and  hop  about,  spin  their  cords,  plaster  their 
homes,  dig  into  the  sand,  and  even  bore  the  solid  rock. 
Of  this  tribe  none  are  more  beautiful,  both  as  to  its 
sculptured  form  and  exquisite  coloring,  than  what  are 
called   escallop   shells.     The    most  useful    of  bivalves, 


392  THE   FIFTH  DAY. 

though  among  the  rudest  in  appearance,  is  the  oyster ; 
this  gift  of  providence  is  widely  dispersed,  being  found 
on  the  coasts  of  Europe,  Asia,  Africa  and  America; 
and  in  these  creatures,  as  in  other  inhabitants  of  the 
deep,  we  meet  with  a  striking  exhibition  of  the  original 
blessing  of  fecundity,  for  a  single  oyster,  according  to 
Poli,  contains  no  less  than  1,200,000  eggs !  But  the 
most  highly  prized  of  all  this  class  is  the  pearl  oyster, 
which  is  found  in  its  greatest  perfection  on  the  coast 
of  Ceylon,  and  in  the  Gulf  of  Persia;  the  internal 
lining  of  these  shells  is  a  very  beautiful  substance,  and 
known  by  the  name  "mother  of  pearls;"  the  pearls 
themselves  are  roundish  bodies  from  the  size  of  a  large 
pea  downwards,  valued  according  to  their  size  and 
perfection  of  form,  and  are  either  attached  to  the 
shells,  or  loose  between  them ;  they  are  sometimes  so 
numerous  that  the  animal  cannot  shut  his  shell,  and 
so  perishes. 

Another  rare  and  singular  bivalve  is  the  singing 
mussel.  The  melancholy  but  soothing  music  of  this 
little  creature  may  frequently  be  heard  on  the  coasts 
of  Ceylon  on  calm  moon-light  nights.  At  first  it  steals 
upon  the  ear  faint  as  the  evening  zephyr  over  the 
strings  of  an  ^Eolian  harp,  but  soon  it  increases  in 
loudness  and  sweetness,  then  changes  into  the  same 
low  tones  again,  and  at  last  dies  away  at  intervals,  to 
be  renewed  as  before ;  thus  vividly  reminding  one  of 
the  classic  fable  of  the  sea-nymphs  and  their  powerful 
charms. 


THE  CUTTLE  FISH. 


THE   FIFTH   DAY.  393 

Bivalves  are  of  all  sizes  from  the  giant  clamp  shell, 
which  has  been  found  four  feet  in  diameter,  weighing 
over  five  hundred  pounds,  and  containing  an  occupant 
large  enough  to  furnish  one  hundred  and  twenty  men 
with  a  full  meal — downward  to  those  which  are  too 
minute  for  inspection  by  the  unassisted  eye,  and  which 
may  be  counted  by  the  hundreds  and  thousands  within 
the  space  of  a  single  cubic  inch,  yet  each  beautiful  and 
perfect  after  its  kind,  but  which  space  forbids  us  even 
to  name. 

With  the  molluscan  order  of  animals  are  generally 
classed  the  cuttle-fish,  octopos,  loligo,  &c.,  a  most 
remarkable  family,  both  as  to  their  outward  form  and 
internal  organization.  The  cuttle-fish,  indeed,  is  one 
of  the  most  wonderful  of  the  works  of  God.  It  has  a 
head  furnished  with  very  perfect  organs  of  respiration. 
It  possesses  the  faculties  of  sight,  hearing  and  smelling. 
Its  jaws  are  like  the  bill  of  a  parrot,  and  from  which 
its  food  passes  into  a  triturating  gizzard.  And  Avhat  is 
still  more  remarkable,  its  circulation  is  carried  on  by 
three  distinct  hearts  instead  of  one.  Its  mouth  is 
surrounded  by  no  less  than  eight  long  fleshy  arms, 
capable  of  bending  in  every  direction  with  the  utmost 
vigor  and  activity;  their  surfaces  are  furnished  with 
numerous  suckers,  by  which  they  can  fix  themselves 
strongly  to  anything  they  wish  to  lay  hold  of;  with 
these  arms  it  can  walk,  or  swim,  or  anchor  itself  safely 
to  the  rocks  during  tempests.  Its  jaws  are  of  great 
power,    and   readily   crush   lobsters,   crabs,   and    even 


394  TEE  FIFTH  DAY. 

shell-fisli.  By  means  of  the  suckers  on  its  arms,  it 
lays  such  fast  hold  on  its  prey  as  to  deprive  them  of 
all  power  of  motion;  and  thus  it  masters  creatures 
much  larger  than  itself.  Its  eyes  are  large  and  promi- 
nent, resembling  those  of  quadrupeds,  and  carrying  in 
them  an  aspect  of  ferocity  that  strikes  terror  into  every 
animal  it  pursues.  In  the  Indian  seas,  the  cuttle-fisli 
attains  formidable  proportions,  and  its  tentacles  grow  to 
a  great  length ;  in  consequence  of  which  the  Islanders, 
it  is  said,  rarely  venture  to  sea  without  hatchets  in 
their  boats,  to  cut  off  these  cold  and  monstrous  arms, 
should  the  animal  attempt  to  fasten  upon  them  and 
drag  them  under  water. 

REFLECTIONS. 

The  mathematical  principles  involved  in  the  struc- 
ture of  the  foregoing  shells  are  worthy  of  special  notice. 
Conchologists  have  shown  that  the  size  of  the  whorls, 
and  the  distance  between  two  contiguous  whorls,  in 
turbinated  and  discoid  shells,  follow  a  geometrical 
progression ;  and  the  spiral  formed  is  the  logarithmic, 
of  which  it  is  a  property,  that  it  has  everywhere  the 
same  geometrical  curvature,  and  is  the  only  curve, 
except  the  circle,  which  possesses  this  property.  Fol- 
lowing this  law,  the  animal  winds  its  dwelling  in  a 
uniform  direction  through  the  space  round  its  axis. 
There  is  thus  traced  in  the  shell  the  application  of 
properties  of  a  geometrical  curve  to  a  mechanical  pur- 
pose.    With  "  these  aquatic  molluscs,  the  shell  is  not 


THE   FIFTH  DAY.  395 

only  to  be  a  habitation  for  the  indwelling  animal,  but 
also  a  float ;  and  this  it  becomes,  by  the  portion  of  the 
narrower  extremity  of  its  chamber  left  unoccupied. 
But  in  order  to  preserve  its  buoyancy,  and  enable  the 
animal  to  ascend  and  descend  the  water  at  will,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  increment  of  the  capacity  of  its  float 
should  bear  a  constant  ratio  to  the  corresponding 
increment  of  its  body — a  ratio  which  always  assigns  a 
greater  amount  to  the  increment  of  the  shell  than  to 
the  corresponding  increment  of  the  animal  bulk.  Now, 
it  is  in  accordance  with  the  geometrical  character  of 
the  form  assumed,  that  the  capacity  of  the  shell  and 
the  dimensions  of  the  animal  do  increase  in  a  constant 
ratio,  causing  the  whole  bulk  of  the  animal  to  bear  a 
relation  of  constantly  increasing  inequality  to  the  whole 
capacity  of  the  shell."  *  Such  is  the  marvellous  pro- 
cess of  shell-building — a  process  carried  on  daily  at  ten 
thousand  points  along  the  coasts  of  every  continent 
and  island  on  the  globe.  Now,  to  whom  shall  we 
ascribe  these  profound  mathematical  operations  con- 
ducted in  the  waters  of  every  ocean  ?  To  the  sightless 
and  brainless  little  jelly  creatures  within,  or  to  the 
only  wise  God? 

*  McCosli's  Typical  Forms,  p.  65. 


396  THE   FIFTH  DAY. 

ANIMALCULES. 
Hoio  manifold  are  thy  ivoi'ks,  in  ivisdom  hast  thou  made  them  all. 

The  waters  of  the  earth — oceans,  lakes,  streams  and 
pools — abound  with  living  creatures  of  various  kinds, 
too  minute  in  their  dimensions  to  be  traced  or  exam- 
ined by  the  unassisted  eye.  Beyond,  and  far  beyond 
tlie  limits  of  natural  vision,  the  microscope  has  revealed 
to  us  new  races,  and,  indeed,  new  systems  of  races, 
whose  existence,  had  it  not  been  for  that  instrument, 
could  scarcely  have  been  suspected,  and  whose  func- 
tions must  have  remained  entirely  unknown.  When 
by  means  of  this  help  we  explore  this  region  of 
animated  nature,  we  feel  as  if  we  were  entering  the 
confines  of  a  new  world,  and  surveying  new  orders  of 
sentient  existences.  Here  we  behold  animals,  minute 
indeed,  but  of  all  shapes  and  figures — some  of  them 
appear  like  mere  vital  atoms,  some  like  globes,  some 
like  slender  ribbons,  some  like  wheels  turning  on  axes, 
some  like  double-headed  monsters,  some  like  long 
cylinders,  some  armed  with  horns,  some  contorted  like 
worms,  some  like  long  hairs,  some  like  tapering  spires, 
some  like  graceful  cupolas,  some  like  swimming  fishes, 
and  some  like  animated  vegetables.  Many  of  them 
are  almost  visible  to  the  naked  eye,  while  many  others 
are  so  small  that  the  breadth  of  a  human  hair  would 
cover  fifty  or  one  hundred  of  them.  Others  still  of 
them  are  so  extremely  minute  that  millions  of  millions 


THE    FIFTH   DAY.  397 

of  tlicm  might  be  contained  within  the  compass  of  a 
cubic  inch.  Hundreds  and  thousands  of  square  miles 
of  the  ocean's  bottom  are  covered  with  the  busy 
animalcuhi  called  polypi,  which  have  been  the  builders 
of  reefs  and  promontories,  and  of  many  of  the  islands 
now  the  residence  of  man.  The  waters  of  the  Arctic 
Sea  are  often  discolored  by  myriads  of  animalcules 
called  medasce ;  a  cubic  foot  of  this  water  taken  up  at 
random  was  found  to  contain  no  less  than  100,000  of 
these  little  animals.  What,  then,  must  be  the  num- 
bers contained  in  many  square  leagues  of  water  of  this 
character,  often  witnessed  in  many  regions  of  the  globe. 
Yet  all  these  minute  animals,  whether  found  at  the 
bottom  or  on  the  surface  of  the  waters,  are  furnished 
with  the  numerous  organs  of  life,  as  well  as  the  larger 
kinds ;  nor  only  this,  they  also  give  decided  evidences 
of  sagacity,  volitions,  feelings,  preferences  and  attach- 
ments, like  superior  animals ;  and  like  them,  too,  they 
display  symptoms  of  hatred  and  affection,  restlessness 
and  contentment,  pleasure  and  suffering.  But  let  us 
notice  a  few  particular  examples. 

The  little  animal  called  proteus  can  change  his  figure 
at  pleasure,  being  sometimes  extended  to  an  immode- 
rate length,  and  then  contracted  to  a  point;  one 
moment  we  see  it  inflated  into  a  sphere,  the  next 
completely  flaccid ;  and  then  various  eminences  like 
horns  will  project  themselves  from  its  surface,  altering 
it  apparently  into  an  entirely  different  animal.  The 
rotifera  may  be  dried  up  and  laid  on  a  shelf,  so  that 


398  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

the  functions  of  life  shall  be  suspended  for  years,  and 
yet  when  restored  to  their  native  element,  will  revive 
and  be  as  active  as  ever. 

The  hydra,  a  fresh-water  animalcule,  consists  of 
nothing  but  a  stomach,  with  little  tentacula  to  draw  in 
its  prey ;  it  eats  ravenously  when  it  can  get  food,  and 
yet  can  live  four  months  without  any.  When  it  is 
turned  inside  out,  it  lives  on  and  flourishes  as  if 
nothing  had  happened.  But  the  most  remarkable 
thing  about  the  hydra  is  its  power  of  repairing  almost 
any  injury  it  may  receive  that  does  not  absolutely 
annihilate  it.  If  it  is  divided  lengthwise  into  several 
strips,  each  strip  within  twenty-four  hours  will  be  a 
perfect  animal  with  stomach  and  tentacula  complete, 
ready  to  eat,  drink  and  be  merry.  Or,  by  cutting  up 
several  hydras,  different  parts  may  be  made  to  grow 
together,  and  become  one  animal.  And  in  this  way 
every  variety  of  monster,  which  fancy  yet  has  feigned, 
or  fear  conceived,  may  be  formed. 

The  Tiair-lihe  animalculd  move  in  armies ;  sometimes 
marching  in  solid  phalanx,  sometimes  dividing  into 
several  columns,  without  confusion  or  disorder,  as  if 
well  drilled,  and  under  the  direction  of  experienced 
commanders. 

The  most  minute  of  animalcules  are  called  Infusoria. 
Among  these  the  splendid  discoveries  of  Ehrenberg 
have  disclosed  a  world  of  wonders.  He  has  described 
no  less  than  a  thousand  different  species  of  them.  The 
smallest  of  these  animals  are  not  more  than  one-forty- 


THE   FIFTH  DAY.  399 

thousandth  part  of  an  inch  in  diameter;  and  so  thickly 
are  they  sometimes  crowded  together  that  one  drop 
contains  500,000,000  of  them!  Formerly,  it  was 
supposed  that  these  animals  were  little  more  than 
simple  particles  of  matter  endowed  with  vitality.  But 
this  distinguished  naturalist  has  ascertained  that  some 
of  these  are  herbivorous  and  some  carnivorous  animals, 
that  some  have  shells  and  some  have  none ;  and  that 
they  possess  mouths,  teeth,  stomachs,  muscles,  nerves, 
glands,  eyes — in  short,  all  the  important  organs  of  the 
larger  animals.  Some  species  have  from  100  to  200 
sacks  or  stomachs  connected  with  an  intestinal  canal ; 
and  the  thickness  of  the  membranes  that  line  these 
stomachs  he  estimates  at  one-fifty-millionth  part  of 
an  inch. 

The  variety  and  vigor  of  the  movements  of  animal- 
cules are  especially  to  be  admired.  There  is  scarcely  a 
known  means  of  impulsion  or  progression  that  is  not  to 
be  found  in  the  microscopic  world.  Some  move  with 
graceful  undulations  like  serpents,  others  dart  as  if  by 
a  spring  or  elastic  force;  others  move  by  means  of 
vibrating  celiaB,  while  the  charming  vordceUce  have  a 
rotary  motion.  The  roti/era,  again,  have  what  seem 
like  two  little  wheels  on  each  side,  which  appear  to 
propel  precisely  as  do  the  paddle  wheels  of  steamers. 
Others  drag  their  unwieldy  bodies  along  with  painful 
exertion,  and  others  again  persist  in  perpetual  rest. 

It  has  also  been  discovered  that  the  Creator's  bless- 
ing of  fruitfulness  was  effectual,  and  is  still  legible  in 


400  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

the  constitution  and  history  of  these  invisible  animal- 
cules, as  in  those  larger  inhabitants  of  the  deep.  An 
individual  of  the  hydatlna  senta  has  increased  in  ten 
days  to  1,000,000 ;  in  eleven  days  to  4,000,000 ;  and 
in  twelve  days  to  16,000,000  !  Even  this,  however,  is 
but  a  moderate  increase  compared  with  that  of  another 
species,  which  is  capable  of  multiplying  in  four  days  to 
170,000,000,000,000!  This  is  marvellous  fecundity 
indeed.  And  the  modes  of  reproduction  in  these 
minute  animals  are  scarcely  less  wonderful.  While 
various  species  among  them  reproduce  by  eggs  and 
spawn,  like  larger  creatures,  multitudes  of  them  perpet- 
uate their  kind  in  ways  totally  different  from  those  of 
superior  races.  Some  multiply  by  numerous  gemmules 
or  buds  sprouting  from  the  outer  surface  of  the  parent, 
which  gradually  develop  into  its  own  form,  then 
become  detached,  and  assume  an  independent  exist- 
ence. Some  spontaneously  divide  into  two,  four,  eight, 
or  sixteen  parts,  each  part  becoming  a  perfect  animal 
like  the  undivided  original,  and  leaving  it  impossible  to 
decide  which  is  the  parent,  or  which  is  the  offspring. 
Some  gradually  distend  like  little  globules,  and  pre- 
sently burst  and  perish  as  out  of  them  crawl  hundreds 
and  thousands  of  infant  animalcules.  Some  separate 
into  a  number  of  globular  parts,  each  globule  retaining 
all  the  vitality  and  activity  of  the  original  whole,  and 
thus  the  life  of  the  parent  knows  no  end,  and  that  of 
the  offspring  no  beginning;  thus  presenting  a  pseudo 
inmiortality.     And  what  is  still  more  surprising,  the 


THE    FIFTH   DAY.  401 

same  individual,  as  it  would  appear,  often  reproduces 
in  two,  three,  or  four  different  ways. 

REFLECTIONS. 

What  scenes  of  wonder  have  we  in  the  world  of 
animalcula — among  creatures  whose  minuteness  tran- 
scends all  the  powers  of  the  imagination,  500,000,000 
finding  an  ample  ocean  in  a  single  drop  of  water ! 
And  when  we  are  compelled  to  believe  that  these  are 
as  diverse  in  their  forms  and  characters  as  are  the 
larger  species  of  creation;  that  every  one  is  an 
organized  and  living  being,  with  a  complex  system  of 
members,  each  of  which  is  most  skilfully  fitted  for  its 
peculiar  functions;  that  the  processes  of  digestion, 
nutrition  and  reproduction  are  carried  on  in  these 
invisible  particles  with  equal  perfection  as  in  our  own 
bodies ;  that  they  have  instincts  and  habits,  the  powers 
of  choice  and  aversion,  and  capacity  for  pain  and  enjoy- 
ment— all  this  appears  so  amazing  that  we  find  it  as 
difficult  to  stretch  our  imagination  downwards  to  the 
infinitely  little  among  the  creations  of  the  earth,  as  it 
is  to  rise  to  the  comprehension  of  the  infinitely  vast 
among  the  orbs  and  the  systems  of  the  heavens. 

Where,  then,  are  the  bounds  of  Jehovah's  empire ! 
Where  are  the  limits  of  the  operations  of  His  hands ! 
Man,  with  striking  fitness,  has  been  described  as  a 

"  Distinguished  link  in  being's  endless  chain, 
Midway  from  nothing  to  the  Deity." 

He    looks    through   the    telescope,    and   discovers   the 

26 


402  TUE  FIFTH  DAY. 

creations  of  the  Almighty  reaching  above  him  to  the 
infinitude  of  .space;  he  peers  through  the  microscope, 
and  sees  them  in  hke  manner  descending  below  him  to 
the  infinitude  of  minuteness.     Striking  and  beautiful  is 
the  language  of  the  eloquent  Chalmers,  as  he  contem- 
plated the  respective  discoveries  made  by  these  two 
instruments :    "  The  one  led  me  to  see  a  system  in 
every  star ;  the  other  leads  me  to  see  a  world  in  every 
atom.     The  one   taught  me   that  this  mighty  globe, 
with  the  whole  burden  of  its  people  and  of  its  countries, 
is  but  a  grain  of  sand  on  the  high  field  of  immensity ; 
the  other  teaches  me,  that  every  grain  of  sand  may 
harbor  within  it  the  tribes  and  the  families  of  a  busy 
population.     The  one  told  me  of  the  insignificance  of 
the  world  I  tread   upon ;   the  other  redeems  it  from 
all  its  insignificance,  for,  it  tells  me  that  in  the  leaves 
of  every  forest,  and  in  the  flowers  of  every  garden,  and 
in  the  waters  of  every  rivulet,  there  are  worlds  teeming 
with   life,   and  numberless  as   are  the  glories  of  the 
firmament.     The  one  has  suggested  to  me  that,  beyond 
and  above  all  that  is  visible  to  man,  there  may  be 
fields  of  creation  which   sweep   immeasurably  along, 
and  carry  the  impress  of  the  Almighty's  hand  to  the 
remotest  scenes  of  the  universe ;  the  other  suggests  to 
me  that,  within  and  beyond  all  that  minuteness  which 
the  aided  eye  of  man  has  been  enabled  to  explore, 
there  may  be  a  region  of  invisibles ;  and  that,  could  we 
draw  aside  the  mysterious  curtain  which  shrouds  it 
from  our  senses,  we  might  there  see  a  theatre  of  as 


THE    FIFTH  DAY.  403 

many  wonders  as  astronomj'  has  unfolded,  a  universe 
within  the  compass  of  a  point  so  small,  as  to  elude  all 
the  powers  of  the  microscope,  but  where  the  wonder- 
working God  finds  room  for  the  exercise  of  all  His 
attributes,  where  He  can  raise  another  mechanism 
of  worlds,  and  fill  and  animate  them  all  with  the 
evidences  of  His  glory." 

THE  WONDERS  AND  SPLENDORS  OF  OCEAN 

LIFE. 

In  the  survey  now  taken  of  the  watery  world — 
travelling  down,  as  we  have,  from  the  enormous  whale 
of  a  hundred  feet  length,  by  its  numerous  congener 
monsters  of  the  deep,  and  through  all  the  unnumbered 
and  innumerable  shoals  of  the  migratory  tribes,  and 
among  the  scattered  multitudes  of  encrusted  and  crawl- 
ing creatures  along  the  ocean  floor,  and  over  the 
boundless  pavements  of  shell-fish  of  every  varied  form 
and  size,  together  with  a  thousand  other  species,  till  we 
reach  the  myriad  tribes  of  animalcula,  500,000  times 
less  than  the  least  visible  point — what  a  distance  have 
we  travelled,  what  a  lengthy  and  diversified  series  of 
living  beings  have  we  traced !  And  yet  all  these  are 
fashioned  after  their  kind  in  a  manner  worthy  their 
Divine  Maker;  each  species,  from  the  greatest  to  the 
least,  embraces  a  system  of  exquisite  contrivances  and 
adaptations,  a  combination  of  faculties  and  functions, 
surpassing  all  human  study  and  comprehension.  What, 
then,  shall  we  think  of  that  All-comprehending  Intel- 


404  THE    FIFTH   DAY, 

LiGENCE  that  planned  and  formed  all  the  thousands  and 
tens  of  thousands  of  the  ocean's  differing  tribes — 
differing  in  size  and  form  and  color;  differing  in  the 
structure  of  their  bones,  and  in  the  tissue  of  their 
flesh;  differing  in  their  organs  and  faculties  and  dis- 
positions; differing  in  their  systems  of  respiration, 
circulation  and  digestion;  differing  in  their  instincts 
and  habits,  food  and  habitations ;  differing  in  their 
instruments  of  assault  and  means  of  defence,  in  their 
modes  of  reproduction  and  sources  of  enjoyment,  in  the 
duration  of  their  existence,  and  the  end  of  their  being, 
as  well  as  in  a  multitude  of  other  particulars.  What 
an  endless  diversity  do  we  here  behold !  What  count- 
less organs  and  functions  to  be  contrived !  What 
innumerable  properties  and  adaptations  to  be  secured ! 
Yet  in  the  Divine  Mind  the  whole  vast  and  varied 
population  of  the  watery  world  existed  in  plan,  perfect 
and  complete,  "  when  as  yet  there  was  none  of  them." 
In  that  plan,  nothing  was  forgotten,  nothing  over- 
looked ;  in  its  execution,  no  unforeseen  difficulty  arose, 
no  living  thing,  great  or  small,  came  short  of  its 
designed  perfection.  How  marvellous  the  arrange- 
ments, how  perfect  the  works  of  the  great  Creator! 
Of  all,  and  of  each  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  deep  and 
wide  sea,  it  may  be  truly  asserted  that 

"  The  minutest  throb, 
Which  through  their  frame  diffuses 
The  slightest,  faintest  motion, 
Is  fixed  and  indispensable 

As  the  majestic  laws 
That  rule  yon  rolling  orbs." 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  495 

The  world  of  waters  presents  us  with  not  only 
displays  of  the  contriving  wisdom,  but  also  with  clear 
proofs  of  the  universal  and  unceasing  agency  of  the 
Creator.  The  instinctive  doings  and  movements  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  deep  prove  that  God  immediately 
and  unremittingly  guides  and  actuates  every  one  of 
them.  The  evidence  of  this  is  plain  and  conclusive. 
Here  we  see  numerous  species  migrate  from  one  region 
of  the  ocean  to  another;  from  year  to  year  they 
commence  and  end  their  long  voyages  just  at  such  a 
date,  yet  without  any  calendar  of  the  months  or 
reckoning  of  the  days;  and  they  steer  through  the 
deep  by  day  and  by  night,  in  the  storm  and  in  the 
sunshine,  for  thousands  of  miles,  taking  no  observation 
of  sun  or  moon  or  stars,  without  chart  or  compass,  and 
never  once  deviate  from  their  course,  or  miss  of  their 
intended  destination.  We  observe  others  forsakins: 
their  failing  pools,  and  marching  in  a  direct  line  over 
land  for  the  nearest  other  water,  though  they  had 
never  seen  it.  We  discover  others  practising  strata- 
gems to  decoy  and  catch  their  prey,  or  to  elude  and 
escape  their  enemies,  which  all  the  reason  and  cunning 
of  man  could  not  excel.  We  behold  others  still, 
without  experience  and  without  instruction,  converting 
their  little  shells  into  boats,  hoisting  their  sails,  or 
plying  their  tiny  oars,  and  thus  sail  over  the  surface 
of  the  deep,  as  safely  as  the  most  expert  of  human 
mariners.  And  we  find  even  each  of  the  millions  of 
millions  of  corallines  and  madrepores,  in  the  Southern 


406  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

ocean,  building  its  structure  with  the  most  consummate 
art,  depositing  one  stony  particle  after  another  as  regu- 
hirly  and  correctly  as  if  it  worked  by  compass  and 
rule,  until  the  completed  fabric  stands  before  us  a  very 
perfection  of  accuracy,  symmetry  and  beauty.  Now, 
in  these,  and  a  thousand  other  operations  of  a  similar 
nature,  we  have  obviously  the  presence  of  intelligence^ 
and  of  a  very  high  degree  of  intelligence.  And  the 
great  question  is,  whose  intelligence?  Certainly  not 
the  intelligence  of  the  animal;  for  here  are  operations 
involving  scientific  qualifications,  which  imply  a  knowl- 
edge that  man  has  only  attained  by  the  most  difficult 
and  gradual  mental  process ;  a  fact  that  at  once 
precludes  the  idea  that  the  directing  intelligence  is 
that  of  the  animal.  Besides,  the  mental  power  here 
seen  displays  itself  at  once  in  the  young  progeny,  in 
such  full  and  exquisite  perfection,  and  with  such 
unerring  success  accomplishes  ends,  which  the  animal 
can  neither  appreciate  nor  foresee.  If  we  cannot, 
therefore,  accredit  the  animal  with  the  wisdom  of  the 
means,  or  with  the  skill  of  the  operations  before  us, 
are  we  not  carried  directly  upward  to  the  Divine 
Intelligence,  working  in  and  through  the  animal  ?  Or, 
to  simplify  and  abbreviate  our  syllogism — we  have  in 
these  instinctive  doings  a  mental  process  of  a  very 
high  order;  we  must,  therefore,  find  a  mental  agent. 
Such  an  agent  we  do  not  find  in  the  animal ;  it 
appears,  on  the  contrary,  from  all  evidence,  to  be  a 
mere  blind  instrument.     We  are  forced,  therefore,  to 


TUE   FIFTH  DAY.  407 

admit  a  higher  agent ;  and  this  agent  can  only  be  the 
Supreme  IntelHgence,  everywhere  jjresent  in  creation. 
Thus,  then,  we  are  led  to  the  conviction  that,  all  life 
reveals  a  present  Deity,  and  all  the  instinctive  functions 
of  life  the  immediate  operations  of  the  Divine  enenjy. 
God  is  not  only  present  with  all  the  myriads  of  the 
deep  and  wide  ocean,  but  actuates  and  guides  them  in 
all  their  doings.  He  it  is  that  teaches  them  their  way 
of  life,  and  acquaints  them  with  their  appointed 
seasons.  He  it  is  that  sets  in  order  their  innumerable 
armies,  and  leads  them  to  and  fro  in  their  distant 
migrations.  He  it  is  that  guides  the  busy  hands  of 
the  little  polyps  in  rearing  their  coral  wonders;  and 
that  marshals  in  single  ranks  or  solid  squadrons  the 
invisible  animalcula  of  the  still  and  silent  pool.  Hence 
we  may  well  join  in  the  devout  exclamation  of  the 
eloquent  Fenelon  :  "  0  my  God,  he  who  does  not  see 
thee  in  thy  works,  has  seen  nothing !  He  who  does 
not  confess  thy  hand  in  the  beautiful  productions  of 
this  well-ordered  world,  is  a  stranger  to  the  best  affec- 
tions of  the  heart.  He  exists  as  though  he  existed 
not ;  and  his  life  is  no  more  than  a  dream." 

The  view  now  taken  of  the  ocean  and  its  living 
w^onders,  serves  to  show  that  it  is  a  liiyh  and  leading 
design  with  God,  in  the  creation,  to  produce  and  extend 
happiness.  Accordingly,  we  find  the  water  as  well  as 
the  dry  land  teeming  with  delighted  existence.  We 
see  the  margins  of  rivers,  lakes,  and  of  the  sea  itself, 
abounding  with  shoals  of  the  fry  of  fish,  and  attesting 


408  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

by  their  wanton  mazes  and  gratuitous  activity,  that 
they  are  so  happy  that  they  know  not  what  to  do  with 
themselves.  And  in  the  great  deeps,  and  among  the 
larger  classes,  we  observe  racing,  leaping,  and  fantastic 
gambols,  which  plainly  indicate  feelings  of  delight  and 
happiness.  Even  within  the  Polar  circles,  the  inhabi- 
tants of  those  dark  and  icy  seas  have  their  peculiar 
pastimes  and  pleasures  therein.  Happiness,  from  every 
region  of  sea  and  land,  ascends  million-voiced  to  the 
Great  Source  of  being  day  by  day.  Such  a  sense  of  it 
is  diffused  through  creation  as  warms  and  animates  it 
everywhere  with  the  breath  of  thanksgiving.  It  is 
Nature's  song  of  piety,  and  ascends  from  the  dark, 
unfathomed  dells  and  caves  of  the  ocean,  as  clearly  as 
from  the  flowery  meadows  and  echoing  groves ;  and  is 
alike  from  both,  new  every  morning,  and  fresh  every 
evening.  Jars,  indeed,  mingle  in  the  wide-toned  Te 
Deum  laudamus,  and  mar  more  or  less  the  harmony  of 
the  song ;  but  still  upward  it  goes,  an  all-pervading 
strain  of  happiness,  in  testimony  of  the  love  from 
which  it  comes,  and  in  which  alone  it  lives. 

To  appreciate  the  happiness  and  splendor  of  ocean 
life,  we  must  actually  look  down  and  contemplate  some 
of  the  scenes  of  beauty  and  delight  which  are  presented 
beneath  its  waters.  And  for  this  end,  let  us  first 
embark  with  Sir  Arthur  de  Capell  Broke,  on  the  North 
Sea.  "  The  ocean's  surface  is  unruffled,  and  its  waters 
perfectly  transparent.  Hanging  over  the  gunwale  of 
the  boat,"  says  he,  "  with  wonder  and  delight  I  gazed 


TUE  FIFTH  DAY.  409 

on  tlio  slowly  moving  scone  below.  Gliding  slowly 
along,  we  saw  far  beneath  the  rugged  sides  of  a 
mountain  rising  toward  the  boat,  the  base  of  which, 
perhaps,  was  hidden  some  miles  in  the  great  deep 
below.  Though  moving  on  the  level  surface,  it  seemed 
almost  as  if  we  were  ascending  the  height  under  us ; 
and  when  we  passed  over  its  summit,  which  rose  in 
appearance  within  a  few  feet  of  the  boat,  and  came 
again  to  the  descent,  which  on  this  side  was  suddenly 
perpendicular,  and  overlooking  a  watery  gulf,  as  we 
pushed  ourselves  gently  over  the  last  point  of  it,  it 
seemed  as  if  we  had  thrown  ourselves  down  this  preci- 
pice; the  illusion,  from  the  crystal  clearness  of  the 
deep,  actually  producing  a  start.  Now  we  came  again 
to  a  plain,  and  passed  slowly  over  the  submarine 
forests  and  meadows,  which  appeared  in  the  expanse 
below,  inhal)ited  by  thousands  of  animals,  to  which 
they  afford  both  food  and  happy  homes — animals 
unknown  to  man ;  and  I  could  sometimes  observe  large 
fishes  of  singular  shapes  gliding  softly  through  the 
watery  thickets,  unconscious  of  what  was  moving 
above  them.  As  we  proceeded,  the  bottom  became  no 
longer  visible ;  its  fair}''  scenes  gradually  faded  to  the 
view,  and  were  lost  in  the  dark  green  depths  of  the 
ocean." 

Next,  let  us  accompany  the  philosophic  Quatrefages 
on  one  of  his  exploring  trips  over  the  waters  of  the 
beautiful  Mediterranean.  Such,  frequenth',  are  the 
stillness  and  transparency  of  these  waters,  he  tolls  us, 


4:10  THE   FIFTH  DAY. 

that  as  lie  sails  along,  he  seems  to  be  hanging  in 
mid-space,  or  looking  down  like  a  bird  from  the  air, 
upon  the  landscape  below.  "  Strangely  formed  animals 
people  these  submarine  regions,  and  give  animation  to 
them.  Fishes,  sometimes  singly,  like  the  sparrows  of 
our  streets,  or  the  warblers  of  our  hedges ;  sometimes 
uniting  in  flocks,  like  starlings  or  pigeons,  roam  among 
the  crags,  wander  through  the  thickets  of  the  algas,  or 
disperse  and  shoot  away  in  all  directions,  as  the 
shadow  of  the  boat  passes  over  them.  Thousands  of 
Zoophytes,  Avitli  flower-like  petals,  blossom  beneath  the 
tempered  rays  of  the  sun;  while  hosts  of  mollusca, 
some  encased  in  stony  shells;  others,  whose  unpro- 
tected nakedness  is  compensated  by  their  gorgeous 
colors  or  elegant  forms,  go  gliding  along;  while 
awkward  long-legged  sea-spiders  run  over  them  in 
every  oblique  direction.  Other  shapes,  like  lobsters 
and  praw^ns,  gambol  among  the  weeds,  or  repose  under 
some  friendly  arch  or  overhanging  tuft.  Add  to  all 
these  a  thousand  other  beings  of  every  varied  form, 
and  of  every  shade  of  color,  all  rejoicing  in  their  native 
element,  and  possessing  all  they  need  or  desire." 

Cross  we  now  the  Atlantic,  and  join  Schopf  in  his 
delightful  voyage  over  the  Caribbean  Sea.  "  In  passing 
over  these  splendidly  adorned  grounds,"  says  he, 
"  where  marine  life  shows  itself  in  an  endless  variety 
of  forms,  the  boat,  suspended  over  the  purest  crystal, 
seems  to  float  in  the  air,  so  that  a  joerson  unaccustomed 
to  the  scene  easily  becomes  giddy.     On  the  clear  sandy 


THE    FIFTH   DAY.  411 

bottom  appear  thousands  of  sea-stars,  sea-urchins,  mol- 
luscs, and  fishes  of  a  brilliancy  of  colors  unknown  in 
more  temperate  climes.  Burning  red,  intense  blue, 
livery  green,  and  golden  yellow  perpetually  vary.  The 
spectator  floats  over  groves  of  sea-plants,  gorgonias, 
corals,  alcyoniums,  flabellums,  and  sponges,  that  afford 
no  less  delight  to  the  eye,  and  are  no  less  gently 
agitated  by  the  heaving  waters,  than  the  most  beautiful 
garden  on  earth  when  a  gentle  breeze  passes  through 
the  waving  boughs." 

We  change  our  point  of  observation  once  more,  and 
with  Jukes  look  down  upon  one  of  the  reefs  of  the 
Pacific.  And  what  a  stirring  sight  is  here  before  us. 
*'  The  bottom  of  the  clear  waters  is  overspread  with  a 
green  carpet  of  tubiporas  and  astreas,  diversified  by 
more  bright-colored  miandrinoe  and  cariophyllae,  sw^iftly 
vibrating  their  rich  golden  stamina.  Over  this  world 
beneath,  as  if  to  shade  it  from  the  sun,  rise  groves  of 
living  coral,  branching  in  fantastic  imitations  of  the 
shrubs  and  trees  of  the  land;  and  the  majestic 
gorgonias  and  the  less  lofty  isis  undulate  like  the 
willows  and  aspens  and  climbing  plants  of  our  own 
forests.  The  plumaria  sends  forth  its  spirals  from  one 
submarine  tree  to  another,  just  like  the  grape-vine  of 
the  South.  Within  this  submarine  paradise,  and 
among  these  gorgeous  productions,  we  see  a  diversified 
world  of  living  inhabitants.  Molluscs  drag  their  shells 
of  pearly  lustre  along  these  labyrinths;  crabs  run  and 
hunt    here;    strange    fish   rove   tranquilly    about   the 


412  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

rising  stems,  while  others  more  beautiful  and  radiant 
with  metallic  greens  or  crimsons  playfully  float  among 
the  coral  branches,  like  birds  among  the  trees.  Here 
crawl  idly  over  brainstones  and  madrepores  those  fine 
cones  and  cowries  and  olives,  that  form  the  pride  of 
many  an  European  cabinet.  There  long  ribbon-fish, 
gleaming  like  burnished  silver,  are  darting  by;  while 
the  parrot-fishes,  more  peaceful,  are  browsing  and 
nibbling  the  3^oung  tips  of  the  growing  weeds."  With 
such  a  scene  before  us,  we  wonder  not  at  the  words  of 
Ehrenberg,  when  he  exclaimed,  "  Where  is  the  para- 
dise of  flowers  that  can  rival  in  variety  and  beauty 
these  living  wonders  of  the  ocean  ?" 

Thus,  then,  does  the  ocean  with  its  innumerable 
tenants,  all  in  their  measure  endowed  both  with  the 
capacity  and  the  means  of  happiness,  proclaim  aloud 
the  vast  profusion  of  the  Divine  beneficence :  "  0 
Lord,  how  manifold  are  thy  works;  in  wisdom  hast 
Thou  made  them  all ;  the  earth  is  full  of  thy  riches ; 
so  also  is  the  great  and  wide  sea,  wherein  are  things 
creeping  innumerable,  both  small  and  great  beasts. 
These  all  wait  upon  Thee,  that  Thou  mayest  give 
them  their  meat  in  due  season.  That  Thou  givest 
them  they  gather ;  Thou  openest  thine  hand,  and  they 
are  filled  with  good.  All  thy  works  praise  Thee,  0 
Lord ;  and  thy  saints  shall  bless  Thee." 


;r: 


TUE  FIFTH  DAY.  413 


BIRDS. 

And  God  said,  Let  the  waters  bring  forth  abundantly  the  fowl  that 
may  Jiy  above  the  earth  in  the  open  firmament  of  heaven. 

Birds  compose,  in  many  respects,  the  most  interest- 
ing class  of  animated  nature.  And  in  their  numbers 
and  varieties  we  see  another  astonishing  dispLay  of  the 
riches  of  Divine  invention  and  creative  power.  Had 
man  existed,  and  been  asked  on  the  morning  of  the 
fiftli  day,  before  a  bird  had  been  seen  or  made,  how 
creatures  could  be  contrived  that  could  overcome  the 
force  of  gravitation,  raise  and  poise  themselves  high 
in  the  atmosphere,  and  there  with  ease  and  rapidity 
advance  or  recede,  rise  or  descend,  or  transport  them- 
selves from  one  region  to  another  with  or  against  the 
■wind,  at  their  pleasure — had  such  a  problem,  I  say, 
been  then  proposed  to  man,  its  solution  would  not  only 
have  been  altogether  beyond  his  capacity,  but  he 
would  have  pronounced  the  thing  an  impossibility. 
But  behold  what  man  could  never  have  conceived  God 
hath  done,  and  done  in  an  endless  variety  of  ways ! 
Nearly  7,000  different  species  of  birds  have  already 
been  examined  and  classified ;  and  there  can  be  little 
doubt  but  thousands  more  exist  in  the  unexplored 
forests,  marshes,  deserts  and  mountains  of  the  earth. 
These  are  of  all  forms  and  sizes,  from  the  formidable 
condor  of  the  Andes  down  to  the  diminutive  humming 
bird  that  flits  in  the  sunshine  of  the  tropics.     Many 


414  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

of  them  fill  us  with  admiration  by  the  grace  and 
elegance  of  their  forms,  others  astonish  us  with  the 
ease  and  swiftness  of  their  motions,  while  others  still, 
delight  us  no  less  by  the  beauty  and  gorgeousness  of 
their  plumage.  In  a  word,  the  feathered  race  may  be 
recrarded  as  being  altogether  the  fairest  marvels  of  our 
world. 

Nowhere  can  design  and  adaptation  be  more  con- 
spicuous than  in  the  formation  of  birds  for  their  native 
element.  Their  general  shape,  being  invariably  that 
of  a  wedge  terminating  with  the  sharp  apex  of  the  bill, 
is  made  to  cleave  the  air  with  the  utmost  facility. 
Again,  in  order  to  rise  and  skim  through  the  impalpa- 
ble ether,  lightness  was  found  an  essential  qualification  ; 
accordingly,  of  all  animals,  birds  are  the  most  lightly 
built,  and  the  most  penetrated  by  the  element  in  which 
they  move ;  their  bones  and  their  whole  organization 
are  filled  with  air,  as  a  sponge  with  water ;  so  that 
they  possess  a  degree  of  levity  that  no  other  class  of 
animals  is  endowed  with.  "  In  birds  distinguished  for 
their  power  of  flight,"  says  Child,  "  such  as  the  Solan- 
goose,  Albatross,  and  Pelican,  the  air  not  only  fills  the 
bones,  but  surrounds  the  viscera,  insinuates  itself 
between  the  muscles,  and  buoys  up  the  entire  skin ; 
so  that  the  whole  body  is  inflated  like  a  balloon." 
Add  to  all  this  the  fact  that,  the  air  thus  inclosed  in 
the  body  of  a  bird  is  heated  by  its  natural  temperature 
some  ten  or  twelve  degrees  above  that  in  the  body  of  a 
man ;     and    this,    on    the    j)rinciple    of   a    fire-balloon. 


THE    FIFTH   DAY.  415 

roiulers  tlio  whole  bird  still  more  buoyant.  Thus, 
then,  with  a  light  body,  a  sharp  beak  to  cleave  the 
air,  a  smooth  coat  of  overlapping  feathers,  terminating 
in  an  expansive  tail  for  a  rudder,  and  possessing  a  pair 
of  vigorous  wings,  birds  are  able  to  move  in  what 
direction  and  at  what  speed  they  please ;  can  glide 
motionless  through  the  air,  or  skim  the  surface  of  the 
waters ;  can  ascend  above  the  clouds,  or  alight  upon 
the  earth,  or  even  sport  with  the  force  and  fury  of 
the  gale, 

A  bird  inflated,  as  above  described,  as  is  obvious, 
could  no  more  sink  in  water  than  an  equal  bulk  of 
cork ;  yet  some  of  the  most  remarkable  for  their  power 
of  flight  are  no  less  distinguished  for  the  facility  with 
which  i\\Qy  can  dive  and  glide  about  under  water. 
And  herein  we  discover  a  most  striking  instance  of  me- 
chanical design.  Aquatic  fowls,  that  have  been  ap- 
pointed to  seek  their  food  in  the  waters,  are  furnished 
with  special  sets  of  muscles  variously  disposed  over 
their  frames,  by  means  of  which  they  are  enabled  to 
contract  the  body  and  immediately  expel  the  air,  so 
that  they  can  as  readily  dive  and  chase  their  prey  along 
the  bottoms  of  rivers  and  pools  as  they  can  skim 
through  the  atmosphere.  Contrivance  and  dedrjn  are 
not  more  clearly  indicated  in  the  valve  by  which  the 
aeronaut  discharges  the  gas  from  his  balloon  in  order  to 
descend,  than  they  are  in  this  power  given  to  aquatic 
birds. 

The  covering  given  to  birds — its  lightness,  its  smooth- 


416  THE   FIFTH  DAY. 

ness,  its  warmth,  its  beauty — is  worthy  of  all  admira- 
tion. What  lighter  clothing  for  aerial  flights  could 
have  been  devised?  The  entire  feathers  of  an  owl 
weigh  only  an  ounce  and  a  half.  What  warmer  pro- 
tection could  have  been  given  to  those  that  spend  much 
of  their  time  on  the  water  than  their  thick  plumage, 
which  they  are  taught  to  render  impervious  to  moisture 
by  the  application  of  oil  secreted  in  their  bodies  for 
that  express  purpose  ?  If  we  look  at  these  feathers  one 
by  one,  we  shall  find  the  simplest  of  them  a  production 
of  marvellous  ingenuity.  Every  feather  has  been 
measured  and  weighed,  shaped  and  colored,  with  refer- 
ence to  its  particular  situation  and  function,  and  the 
whole  presents  a  striking  display  of  creative  wisdom. 
And  if  we  examine  the  fine  feathers  of  such  birds  as 
the  egret,  the  enu,  and  the  ibis ;  or  the  gorgeous  ones 
of  the  peacock,  the  parrot,  and  the  bird  of  paradise ;  or 
the  more  rare  and  costly  plumes  of  the  ostrich  and  the 
heron — \fQ  are  forced  to  admit  that  here  we  trace  the 
hand  and  pencil  of  a  Divine  Artist,  w^hose  mind  em- 
braces the  perfection  of  all  symmetry,  beauty  and 
grace. 

In  the  feathered  creation,  as  in  every  other  depart- 
ment of  animated  nature,  we  find  a  most  wonderful 
diversity  in  form  and  stature,  in  instincts  and  habits. 
Few  things  can  exceed  the  variety  here  displayed. 
Some  are  of  great  size  and  power,  able  to  bear  away  on 
the  wing  a  lamb,  a  kid,  or  even  a  small  deer,  with  ease; 
others  are  extremely  small  and  delicate,  scarcely  ex- 


THE    FIFTH    DAY.  417 

ceeding  in  size  a  beetle  or  a  bumble-bee.  Some  are 
made  to  dwell  upon  tlie  sea,  and  some  upon  the  land. 
Some  subsist  by  prey,  and  some  on  seeds  and  grasses. 
Some  roost  through  the  night  and  are  abroad  in  the 
day ;  and  some  are  of  habits  quite  the  reverse,  remain- 
ing secluded  in  the  day  time,  and  roaming  about  in  the 
night.  Some  make  their  homes  among  the  loftiest 
crags  of  the  mountains,  others  in  the  lowest  fens  and 
marshes ;  some  in  the  depths  of  the  forest,  and  some  on 
the  barren  heaths  or  sandy  deserts.  Some  are  capaci- 
tated to  soar  among  the  clouds,  and  others  to  dive  into 
the  bottom  of  pools.  Some  are  of  a  nature  wild  and 
untamable,  others  are  domestic  and  content  to  dwell 
about  the  habitation  of  man. 

But  great  as  is  this  diversity  among  the  fowls  of  the 
air,  each  is  every  way  happily  adapted  for  the  lot  as- 
signed to  it.  The  entire  structure  and  each  particular 
organ  of  birds  display  the  most  marked  and  beneficent 
adaptation  to  their  several  modes  of  life.  Take,  for 
example,  the  heah  or  hill,  and  we  find  it  in  every  in- 
stance modified  and  constructed  according  as  its  owner 
is  a  swimmer,  a  wader,  a  courser,  a  scratcher,  a  climber, 
a  percher,  or  a  ravener.  The  little  sparrow  tribe  is 
appointed  to  subsist  principally  on  seeds  and  grain,  and 
to  it  is  given  a  bill  so  sharp,  and  with  a  point  so  tem- 
pered, that  it  can  readily  pick  every  kind  of  seed  from 
its  concealment  in  the  plant;  and  not  only  that,  but 
hull  them  and  obtain  the  naked  kernel.  The  carnivo- 
rous hawk,  wdth  its  kindred  species,  is  armed  with  a 

27 


418  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

hooked  beak,  with  which  it  can  separate  the  flesh  from 
the  bones  of  the  animals  upon  which  it  feeds  as  cleanly 
as  a  dissector's  knife.  The  goose,  duck,  etc.,  being  de- 
signed to  feed  partly  on  grass,  and  partly  on  such  sub- 
stances as  they  can  find  in  the  mud  at  the  bottom  of 
pools,  are  furnished  with  a  spoon  bill,  the  most  suitable 
that  can  be  imagined  for  both  these  purposes.  The 
parrot,  a  climbing  bird,  is  provided  with  a  beak  that 
curves  into  a  hook,  and  forms  the  very  instrument  by 
which  it  is  enabled  to  climb  from  twig  to  twig,  and 
branch  to  branch.  The  gannet,  which  feeds  upon  fish, 
has  the  sides  of  its  bill  irregularly  jagged,  that  it  may 
hold  its  slimy  victims  more  securely.  The  crane  is 
made  to  live  and  seek  its  food  among  the  waters ;  at 
first  thought,  its  lot  might  appear  hard,  as  it  is  desti- 
tute of  webbed  feet  and  incapable  of  swimming ;  but  to 
make  up  for  this  deficiency,  it  is  furnished  with  long 
legs  for  wading,  and  with  a  long  neck  and  bill  for 
groping  after  its  food.  The  woodpecker,  which  lives 
chiefly  on  insects  lodged  in  the  bodies  of  decayed  trees, 
is  provided  with  a  bill,  straight,  and  hard,  and  sharp, 
to  dig  and  bore  down  after  them;  and  also  with  a 
tongue,  which  it  can  thrust  out  full  three  inches,  which 
is  tipped  with  a  stifi",  pointed,  bony  thorn,  barbed  like 
an  arrow;  having  exposed  the  retreats  of  the  insects  by 
means  of  its  bill,  it  instantly  thrusts  out  at  them  this 
long  tongue,  transfixes  them  on  the  barbed  point,  and 
thus  draAvs  them  within  its  mouth.  Such  are  a  few 
examples  of  the  striking  adaptations  observed  in  the 
beaks  or  bills  of  birds. 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  419 

Let  US  again  look  at  the  foot,  and  the  same  thing  is 
equally  observable.  To  aquatic  fowls  has  been  given  a 
web  foot,  so  constructed  and  articulated  as  to  form  the 
most  effective  propeller  for  them  in  the  water.  But  as 
land  birds  do  not  attempt  to  swim,  or  adventure  to  the 
water,  they  have  received  another,  and  for  them,  a 
more  suitable  foot,  viz.,  a  divided  one.  The  vulture, 
the  eagle,  and  the  hawk,  birds  that  prey  upon  hares, 
rabbits,  mice,  etc.,  are  armed  with  crooked,  sharp  and 
powerful  claws,  with  which  they  seize  and  hold  with 
unfailing  grasp  whatever  they  descend  upon.  The 
heron  and  cormorant  have  the  middle  claw,  toothed 
and  notched  like  a  saw ;  these  birds  are  great  fishers, 
and  these  notches  assist  them  in  holding  their  slippery 
prey.  Here,  then,  again,  we  behold  adaptations  of  a 
most  marked  character. 

Once  more  :  The  internal  arrangements  of  birds  pre- 
sent adaptations  corresponding  to  their  natures  and 
habits  that  are  equally  striking.  Birds  that  feed  on 
seeds  and  grain  have  crops,  and  here  these  are  moist- 
ened and  softened,  and  then  pushed  on  into  the  gizzard, 
the  inner  coat  of  which  is  filled  up  with  rough  plates, 
which,  by  a  strong  friction  against  one  another,  readily 
break  up  and  grind  their  food  into  uniform  pulp.  In 
birds  of  ^rey,  we  find  a  membranous  stomach,  and  a 
gastric  juice,  capable  of  dissolving  rapidly  and  effectu- 
ally any  animal  substance  they  may  swallow.  Their 
food  need  not  be  masticated  by  teeth,  or  ground  by  a 
gizzard,  consequently  they  have  neither  the  one  nor  the 


420  THE    FIFTH  DAY. 

other.  The  gizzard  is  an  organ  of  great  power;  that 
of  some  mollusc-feeding  birds  is  strong  enough  to  crush 
and  o-riiid  the  shells  with  ease.  Thus  Infinite  Wisdom 
has  adapted  every  fowl  of  the  air  for  its  aj^pointed 
place  and  lot ;  purpose  and  design  are  manifest  in  all. 

Birds  excel  in  muscular  poicer.  The  promptitude,  force 
and  activity  they  display  in  their  movements,  and  the 
unwearied  vigor  with  which  they  persevere  for  hours  and 
days,  in  the  violent  exertions  required  for  flight,  far  ex- 
ceed those  of  any  quadrupeds.  The  little  wagtail  seems 
incapable  of  rest,  and  insusceptible  of  fatigue,  being  per- 
petually in  motion.  The  ostrich  will  outrun  the  fleetest 
horse.  The  condor,  Humboldt  informs  us,  soars  to  the 
height  of  Chimborazo;  and  to  see  him  with  expanded 
wings,  wheeling  round  its  summits,  or  sweeping  down  in 
graceful  gyrations  from  the  upper  sky,  each  circle  con- 
tracting as  the  earth  is  neared,  is  represented  by  travel- 
lers as  a  sublime  and  imposing  sight.  The  wild  pigeon 
will  fly  for  a  whole  day  at  the  rate  of  sixty  miles  an  hour. 
It  is  a  matter  of  history,  that  a  falcon  belonging  to  Henry 
IV".,  of  France,  having  escaped  from  Fontainbleau,  was 
found  at  the  end  of  twenty-four  hours  at  Malta,  a  dis- 
tance of  1350  miles.  The  speed  of  the  swallow  is 
computed  at  90  miles  per  hour.  The  albatros,  the 
largest  of  the  sea  birds,  and  having  wings  that  some- 
times expand  to  the  extent  of  nearly  twenty  feet,  will 
fly  with  a  velocity  of  100  miles  an  hour.  It  is  said 
that  the  little  bird  called  swift  darts  through  the  air 
at  a  velocity  of  not  less  than  180  miles  per  hour.     But 


THE   FIFTH    DAY.  421 

no  bird,  perhaps,  compares  all  in  all,  as  to  flight,  with 
the  eaglet  of  the  sea,  or  frigate-bird.  With  a  conipara- 
tivelj  small  body,  and  a  pair  of  prodigious  wings,  often 
sixteen  feet  from  tip  to  tip,  this  bird  can  afford  to 
despit^e  the  most  powerful  tyrants  of  the  air — can  in  an 
instant  leave  even  the  condor  leagues  behind  it.  If  a 
storm  comes,  it  ascends  to  heights  where  all  is  calm, 
and  hovers  in  royal  solitude  at  an  elevation  of  10,000 
feet.  In  its  descent,  if  perchance  it  meets  with  other 
birds  that  are  fishing,  and  that  have  lifted  their  fish  out 
of  the  water,  it  attacks  them,  makes  them  disgorge 
their  prey,  and  catches  it  ere  it  reaches  the  surftice  of 
the  deep,  "  If  it  seriously  wishes  to  travel,"  says  an 
enthusiastic  French  naturalist,  "all  distance  disappears. 
It  can  breakfast  in  Africa,  and  dine  in  America.  Or 
if  it  wishes  to  take  it  more  leisurely,  and  to  amuse  itself 
on  the  way,  it  can  do  so ;  it  can  lay  by  for  the  night, 
reposing  on  its  great  motionless  wings,  and  literally 
sleep  on  the  bosom  of  the  wind." 

Bernouilli  once  challenged  the  mathematicians  of 
Europe  to  solve  a  famous  problem :  it  was,  To  deter- 
mine the  line  through  lohich  a  faUiny  hody  icoidd 
descend  most  swiftly.  Two,  Leibnitz  and  Sir  Isaac 
Newton,  were  able  to  solve  it,  and  proved  the  line  of 
swiftest  descent  to  be,  not  a  straight  line,  but  a  par- 
ticular curve  called  the  cycloid.  Now,  it  is  believed 
that  it  is  by  this  very  swoop  that  the  eagle  descends 
with  such  astonishing  velocity  upon  its  prej-.  Here, 
then,  neither  the  writer  nor  the  reader  can  escape  the 


422  TUE   FIFTH  DAY. 

question,  AVho  taught  the  birds  of  the  mountains  the 
line  of  swiftest  descent,  the  discovery  of  which  was 
believed  to  be  a  test  of  the  highest  mathematical  skill  ? 
In  birds,  the  organs  of  sight,  hearing,  and  smelling 
are  in  general  of  great  acuteness,  and  admirably 
adapted  to  their  several  wants  and  habits.  The  eyes 
of  owls,  and  other  birds  of  night,  are  expressly  con- 
structed for  seeing  amid  faint  and  scattered  rays  of 
light ;  whilst  those  of  day-birds  are  obviously  different 
according  to  their  different  habits.  The  eye  in  birds 
generally  is  proportionally  larger  and  more  prominent 
than  in  other  animals;  which  enables  them  to  com- 
mand a  more  ^extensive  range  of  view.  Many  tribes 
possess,  in  a  wonderful  degree,  the  power  of  altering 
the  focus  of  vision,  so  as  to  see  with  equal  distinctness 
objects  that  are  nearep  or  more  remote.  A  wild  pigeon, 
flying  at  double  the  rate  of  a  railroad  car,  can  inspect 
the  face  of  the  ground  below,  and  discover  its  food  with 
facility.  The  vultures  of  Africa  will  discover  a  dead 
animal  as  soon  as  it  falls,  from  heights  utterly  viewless 
to  the  human  eye.  The  hearing  and  smelling  in 
many  species  are  equally  acute.  The  organs  of  hear- 
ing in  birds  are  of  larger  size  compared  with  that  of 
the  head  than  in  other  animals.  And  the  size  of  the 
olfactory  nerves  in  birds  of  prey  greatly  exceeds  that 
of  the  same  nerves  in  granivorous  birds. 

Although  the  brain  of  birds  is  far  less  fully  de- 
veloped than  that  of  quadrupeds,  yet  in  point  of 
intelligence,  they  are  scarce  inferior  to  them.     Some 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  423 

are  as  capable  as  the  dog  of  being  trained  to  many 
things,  and  give  decided  evidences  of  aversion  and 
attachment,  memory  and  expectation.  Di'.  Schinz  had 
a  couple  of  tame  storks  that  knew  their  names  as  well 
as  a  dog,  and  on  being  called  would  immediately  come 
to  him ;  they  would  by  their  gestures  urge  him  to 
shake  down  the  cockchafers  from  the  trees  for  them, 
and  to  take  the  spade  and  turn  the  soil,  that  they  might 
pick  up  the  worms,  of  which  they  were  very  fond. 

Even  the  goose,  though  long  slanderously  made  a 
proverbial  expression  for  silliness,  possesses  a  marked 
degree  of  intelligence.  A  flock  of  these  birds  never 
yield  themselves  to  slumber  without  appointing  a 
sentinel,  and  that  sentinel,  to  ensure  wakefulness, 
stands  invariably  on  one  foot.  Bishop  Stanley  men- 
tions a  2;oose  that  followed  its  owner  about  the  streets 
with  as  much  fidelity  as  a  dog;  when  he  entered  a 
house,  it  would  wait  patiently  outside  for  his  return, 
and  when  he  reappeared,  would  express  its  joy  in  its 
own  peculiar  cries.  The  same  authority  also  relates 
the  story  of  an  aged  blind  woman,  in  Germany,  who 
was  habitually  led  to  church  by  a  sagacious  old  gander. 
The  gander  took  hold  of  her  dress  with  his  bill,  and 
gently  led  her  along.  Having  seen  her  fairly  seated 
in  her  pew,  the  fowl  decorously  withdrew,  and  cropped 
for  himself  a  refreshing  meal  from  the  rich  grass 
srowino;  around  the  church.  As  soon  as  the  services 
were  over,  he  returned  to  his  charge,  and  conducted 
her  in  the  same  way  home  again.     He  was  regarded 


424  I^BE  FIFTH  DAY. 

by  the  family  as  a  safe  and  reliable  escort ;  and  they 
were  accustomed  to  say  that  they  felt  no  anxiety  on 
the  old  ladj-'s  account  "  so  long  as  they  knew  that  the 
gander  was  with  her." 

The  memory  of  birds,  in  many  instances  at  least,  is 
surprising;  for,  after  long  absence  and  a  voyage  of 
many  hundred  miles,  the  migratory  species  will  return 
not  only  to  the  same  clime  and  country,  but,  with 
unerring  certainty,  to  their  former  haunts.  "Year 
after  year,"  says  Dr.  Hartwig,  in  his  Harmonies  of 
Nature,  "  the  swallow,  after  revelling  in  the  orange 
groves  of  Italj',  or  among  the  palms  of  Africa,  revisits 
the  same  English  cottage,  ever  ready  to  welcome  it 
under  the  same  hospitable  thatch."  The  parrot  gives 
numberless  proofs  of  memorj^  and  intelligence ;  he  not 
only  imitates  the  voice  of  man,  but  has  also  a  strong 
desire  to  do  so,  which  he  manifests  by  his  attention  in 
listening,  and  by  the  continuous  efforts  he  makes  to 
repeat  the  phrases  he  has  heard.  He  seems  to  impose 
upon  himself  a  daily  task,  which  even  occupies  him 
during  sleep,  as  he  speaks  in  his  dreams.  Le  Vaillant 
tells  us  that  he  heard  a  parrot  repeat  the  Lord's  prayer 
from  beginning  to  end  in  the  Dutch  language. 

The  Eev.  Mr.  Jenyns  relates  that  he  knew  a  tame 
owl,  which  was  so  fond  of  nmsic,  that  he  would  enter 
the  drawing-room  of  an  evening,  and,  perching  on  the 
shoulder  of  one  of  the  children,  listen  with  great 
attention  to  the  tones  of  the  piano  forte ;  holding  his 
head  first  on  one   side,  then  on  the  other,  after  the 


THE   FIFTH  DAY.  425 

manner  of  connoisseurs.  One  night,  suddenly  spread- 
ing his  wings,  as  if  unable  to  endure  his  rapture  any 
longer,  he  alighted  on  the  keys,  and  driving  away  the 
fingers  of  the  performer  with  his  beak,  began  to  hop 
about  upon  the  keys  himself,  apparently  greatly 
delighted  with  his  own  execution. 

Of  all  animals,  birds  are  the  best  organized  as  to 
voice,  or  the  power  of  uttering  sounds.  The  windpipe 
in  birds  is  very  large  and  strong ;  the  larynx,  unlike 
that  of  man,  is  double,  one  being  at  the  top,  and  the 
other  at  the  bottom  of  that  pipe.  The  sound  produced 
in  the  lower  larynx  is  further  modulated  in  passing 
through  the  upper,  so  that  by  means  of  the  two  they 
are  capable  of  uttering  nearly  all  possible  variations  of 
sounds.  The  air  playing  through  these  larynxes  is 
supplied,  not  from  the  lungs  alone,  but  also  from  the 
air-sacs  distributed  over  the  body,  with  which  they 
stand  in  free  communication ;  hence  it  is  that  they  can 
continue  their  songs  so  long  without  stop  or  inter- 
ruption. In  different  species,  these  organs  of  voice  are 
modified  to  utter  such  notes,  and  to  speak  such  a 
language,  as  their  respective  natures  and  circumstances 
seem  to  demand.  The  cawing  of  the  rook,  the  croaking 
of  the  raven,  the  cooing  of  the  dove,  the  carolling  of  the 
lark,  the  warbling  of  the  nightingale  and  of  other 
singing  birds,  are  all  the  results  of  their  organization, 
modified  according  to  the  plan  and  will  of  the  Infinite 
Intelligence,  who  created  all. 

There  is  something  at  once  pecuUar  and  delightful 


426  THE   FIFTH  DAY. 

in  the  musical  intonations  of  the  feathered  race,  which 
affords  a  clear  indication  of  beneficent  and  loving  de- 
sign. The  music  of  the  grove  has  always  been  a  favor- 
ite theme  Mdth  the  poetj  nor  is  there  any  grade  or  class 
of  men  to  whom  the  songs  of  the  little  warblers  among 
the  leaves  are  not  a  source  of  enjoj^ment.  Wliat  life 
and  charm  do  their  melodies  lend  to  the  beauties  of  the 
summer  months.  With  what  pleasing  emotions  do 
they  inspire  the  heart  of  the  listener.  Some  delight  us 
with  their  long  and  quivering  notes,  and  sweet  varia- 
tions; now  gently  warbling,  then  gradually  swelling 
into  astonishing  force  and  rapidity.  Some,  with  harsher 
pipes,  arrest  our  ear  with  discordant  sounds,  yet,  by 
their  contrast,  adding  interest  to  the  general  concert. 
Some  alternate  their  liveliest  notes  with  plaintive  ac- 
cents that  soothe  and  melt  the  soul  into  pleasing 
melancholy.  Others,  with  their  gay  and  lively  airs, 
elevate  our  spirits,  enkindle  our  best  and  liveliest  feel- 
ings, and  bring  our  whole  intellectual  and  emotional 
being  into  harmony  with  the  peaceful  and  charming 
scene  around  us.  But  the  notes  and  songs  of  birds, 
which  are  thus  so  agreeable  to  us,  are  probably  more 
delightful,  and  far  more  significant,  to  the  resjDective 
tribes  which  give  utterance  to  them.  They  are  to  them 
the  language  of  conjugal  affection,  of  parental  love,  of 
triumphant  exultation,  of  social  enjo^^ment.  They 
animate  and  urge  forward  the  labors  of  nest-building, 
they  cheer  the  tedium  of  incubation,  they  infuse  joy 
into  the  hearts  of  the  tender  brood,  they  bid  defiance 
to  enemies,  and  inspire  friends  with  confidence. 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  427 

Tlie  voice  of  birds  is  remtirkablo  for  its  power  of 
penetration.  No  beast,  in  proportion  to  its  size,  a2> 
preaches  them  in  this  respect.  Were  even  a  lion 
chained  to  a  balloon,  his  deep  roar  would  be  lost  in 
space ;  while  the  little  lark  ascends  singing,  and  is 
heard  when  no  longer  visible.  Its  little  vibrating 
throat  sets  the  whole  atmosphere  around  into  waves  or 
undulations.  "  Let  us  suppose  that  we  hear  its  song 
when  elevated  to  the  heiirht  of  500  feet  in  the  air; 
in  that  case  its  voice  agitates  or  undulates  a  sphere 
of  air  1000  feet  in  diameter;  that  is  to  say,  it  commu- 
nicates to  17,888  tons  of  air  a  motion  sufficiently  intense 
to  be  appreciated  by  our  organs  of  hearing." — Glaciers 
of  tlie  Alps. 

Another  fact  of  very  pleasing  interest  connected  with 
birds  is  their  ^jairi/ir/.  Early  in  the  spring,  almost 
every  little  songster  of  the  grove,  and  meadow,  and 
heath,  has  chosen  a  mate.  And  those  that  have  mi- 
grated to  spend  the  winter  in  distant  countries  return, 
each  accompanied  by  its  wedded  help-meet.  And  in 
this  relation  they  are  patterns  of  fidelity,  as  well  as 
mutual  sympathy  and  kindness.  Even  the  fierce  eagle 
and  rapacious  hawk  are  remarkable  for  their  fidelity 
and  love  for  their  respective  mates.  Ravens  and  crows 
generally  pair  for  life.  The  dove  is  also  distinguished 
in  this  respect.  "The  pigeon  devotes  herself  to  one 
companion,  and  the  union  is  only  dissolved  by  death ; 
when  bereaved,  she  mourns  her  loss,  and  long  refuses 
to  accept  another  mate.     The  black  pigeon  of  the  East, 


428  THE   FIFTa  DAY. 

when  her  mate  dies,  obstinately  rejects  all  others,  and 
continues  in  a  widowed  state  for  life.  Among  thousands 
of  examples,  few  are,  perhaps,  more  touching  than  one 
given  by  Lord  Kaimes,  who  relates  the  circumstance 
of  a  canary,  which  fell  dead  in  singing  to  his  mate, 
while  in  the  act  of  incubation.  The  female  quitted  her 
nest,  and  finding  him  dead,  rejected  all  food,  and  died 
by  his  side."  * 

In  this  pairing  of  birds  we  discover  another  striking 
and  beneficent  provision  of  the  Great  Father  of  all. 
In  nearly  every  other  order  of  animals  the  care  and  toil 
of  rearing  the  young  devolve  entirely  upon  the  female. 
When  the  offspring  is  suckled,  there  is  little  that  the 
male  can  do,  and  his  attentions  are  not  required.  But 
W' ith  birds  it  is  not  so.  Their  parental  duties  are  many 
and  tedious  and  full  of  labor.  They  have  to  build  a 
nest  with  much  skill  and  toil ;  the  eggs  are  to  be  laid, 
and  long  brooded  on  by  day  and  by  night ;  and  the 
young,  w^hen  hatched,  are  to  be  carefully  fed  and  edu- 
cated. And  these  are  operations  that  demand  the 
united  efforts  of  both  parents.  To  procure  a  daily  sup- 
ply for  six,  eight,  or  ten,  craving  mouths,  would  be 
more  than  the  poor  mother,  with  all  her  devoted  efforts, 
could  possibly  accomplish.  "The  Creator,  therefore, 
who  placed  her  in  these  circumstances,  has  provided  for 
her  the  means  of  not  only  lightening  her  labors,  but  of 
also  rendering  them  delightful.  Her  faithful  and  af- 
fectionate mate  constantly  attends  her ;   they  build  the 

*  Benedicite. 


THE   FIFTH  DAY.  429 

nest  together;  by  day,  while  she  perforins  the  duty  of 
incubation,  he  either  collects  her  necessary  food  and  care- 
fully feeds  her  himself,  or  occasionally  supplies  her  place 
on  the  nest,  while  she  hunts  tlu^  fields  to  satisfy  her  own 
wants ;  and  when  the  task  is  accomplished,  he  sits  on  a 
neighboring  bough,  and  cheers  her  tedium  with  a  song. 
By  night,  the  nest  is  their  common  resting-place,  where 
they  nestle  side  by  side.  When  the  callow  brood  are 
hatched,  they  roam  together  or  apart,  to  forage  for  them 
in  the  neighboring  gardens,  or  fields,  or  woods;  and 
urged  by  parental  affection,  and  warmed  by  mutual 
sympathy,  they  ply  their  constant  toil  without  remis- 
sion and  without  weariness.  When  at  length  the  first 
helpless  stage  of  existence  is  passed,  and  the  young, 
full-fledged,  are  to  be  committed  to  their  own  resources, 
the  little  patient  and  affectionate  acts  with  which  they 
united  to  train  their  tender  charge  to  the  important 
functions  of  their  being,  gracefully  crown  these  varied 
and  tender  labors  of  love." — Sac.  Phil. 

Of  all  the  instinctive  operations  of  the  feathered  race, 
not  one,  perhaps,  is  more  remarkable,  more  varied,  and 
more  worthy  of  admiration,  than  their  nest-hailding. 
In  this  important  business,  the  first  point  of  inquiry 
with  the  little  artificers  is,  ichere  shall  the  nest  be  built. 
In  deciding  this,  each  species  is  directed  by  its  instinct 
to  select  with  admirable  discernment  the  locality  best 
suited  to  its  habits  and  temperament,  and  the  most  se- 
cure from  its  particular  enemies.  Hence  the  situations 
chosen  are  as  various  as  are  the  natures  of  the  builders. 


430  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

Some  choose  the  tufted  grass,  some  the  claye}^  bank, 
some  the  eaves  of  houses,  some  the  surface  of  the  sand, 
some  the  clefts  of  the  rocks,  some  the  dark  and  hidden 
caves ;  but  the  great  majority  nidificate  in  bushes  and 
trees.  As  a  general  rule,  the  main  object  aimed  at  in 
nest-building  seems  to  be  to  secure  and  to  preserve  a 
sufficient  and  equable  degree  of  heat  for  the  eggs  during 
the  process  of  incubation.  Hence  both  the  character 
of  the  materials,  and  the  care  with  which  they  are  put 
together,  vary  according  to  the  size  of  the  bird,  the  cli- 
mate of  the  country,  and  the  season  of  the  year.  Large 
birds,  like  the  eagle,  the  emeu,  and  the  osprey,  whose 
great  bodies  possess  in  themselves  adequate  heat  with- 
out much  artificial  aid,  build  carelessly,  and  with  a  few 
rough  materials ;  while  the  little  goldfinch  forms  the 
cradle  of  its  young  with  fine  mosses  and  lichens,  made 
compact  as  felt,  and  then  lined  with  thistle  down — a 
model  of  beautiful  construction.  The  thrush,  which 
breeds  very  early,  plasters  its  nest  with  loam,  in  order 
to  exclude  the  keen  gales  of  the  still  lingering  winter; 
whilst  the  little  warbling  wren  is  taught  another  way, 
and  delays  its  maternal  labors  till  the  middle  of  sum- 
mer, to  compensate  for  the  trifling  degree  of  warmth 
communicated  by  its  tiny  form.  The  ostrich,  which 
resides  in  the  hot  wilds  of  Africa,  scratches  a  little  hol- 
low, and  lays  her  eggs  on  the  bare  sand.  In  wide  and 
opposing  contrast  with  this,  the  eider  duck,  in  the  chilly 
regions  of  Iceland,  tears  the  down  from  her  oAvn  body, 
that,  by  a  lining  so  soft  and  warm,  she  may  protect  her 
precious  charge  from  the  inclemency  of  that  climate. 


THE   FIFTH  DAY.  43I 

The  ingonuity  exhibited  in  tliis  work  is  also  very 
marked  and  wonderful.  Tlie  European  woodpecker, 
having,  after  full  examination,  selected  his  tree,  cuts 
out  a  hole  in  the  solid  wood,  as  circular  as  if  described 
by  a  pair  of  compasses.  The  direction  inclines  down- 
ward for  about  six  inches,  and  then  straight  down  for 
some  ten  more ;  within  this  is  roomy,  capacious,  and  as 
smooth  as  if  the  work  of  a  cabinet-maker ;  but  the  en- 
trance is  judiciously  left  just  so  large  as  to  admit  the 
bodies  of  the  owners.-  During  this  labor  they  regularly 
carry  out  the  chips,  often  strewing  them  at  a  distance 
to  prevent  suspicion.  But  the  South  American  wood- 
pecker, which  has  to  guard  against  different  enemies, 
the  monkeys  and  the  snakes,  adopts  a  very  different 
style  of  architecture.  The  chief  material  employed  is 
a  species  of  moss,  resembling  hair.  This  the  little  bird 
first  fixes  by  some  viscous  substance,  gathered  in  the 
forest,  to  the  most  extreme  branch  of  a  tree;  then 
building  downwards,  and  still  adding  fresh  materials  to 
those  already  procured,  it  forms  a  nest,  which  hangs 
like  a  pouch  from  the  point  of  the  branch.  Tliere  it  is 
suspended  before  the  spoilers,  a  tempting  object,  which 
they  can  only  gaze  upon,  while  the  little  tenants  fly  in 
and  out  without  danger  or  molestation.  The  little 
weaver-bird  of  India  takes  slender  grasses,  and  so  inter- 
twines them  as  to  form  a  web  for  its  nest  of  a  most 
wonderful  structure.  The  tailor-bird,  however,  goes 
beyond  all  others  both  in  skill  and  caution;  it  picks  up 
a  dead  leaf,  and  actually  sews  it  with  fine  fibres  to  the 


432  THE   FIFTH  DAY. 

side  of  a  living  one,  its  slender  bill  being  its  needle ; 
and  this  pocket  it  then  lines  with  feathers,  gossamer, 
and  down.  Its  weight  is  less  than  one  quarter  of  an 
ounce,  so  that  a  single  leaf  is  amply  sufficient  to  sup- 
port both  it  and  its  nest. 

All  birds  propagate  their  species  by  eggs,  and  the 
number  of  eggs  laid  by  each  particular  kind  has  been 
limited  by  creative  wisdom.  Birds  of  prey  lay  few, 
and  breed  slowly ;  but  those  preyed  upon  breed  rapidly 
and  in  profusion ;  so  that  those  birds  which  are  intended 
to  restrain  within  certain  bounds,  but  not  exterminate, 
the  smaller  tribes,  produce  very  few ;  while  the  other 
orders,  in  proportion  to  their  helplessness  and  liability 
to  destruction,  produce  a  far  more  numerous  progeny. 
By  this  adjustment  the  balance  of  nature  is  preserved. 

The  nest  finished,  and  the  appointed  number  of  eggs 
laid,  the  bird  is  led  by  an  influence  as  infallible  as  that 
of  gravitation,  and  proceeding  from  the  same  source,  to 
sit  upon  tliem  for  a  set  length  of  time.  The  operations 
of  instinct  throughout  the  process  of  incubation  are 
truly  marvellous.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  patience, 
self-denial,  and  endurance  of  the  female  bird  while 
hatching.  The  happy  freedom,  the  playful  flights, 
and  warbling  concerts,  to  which  she  has  been  accus- 
tomed, are  all  cheerfully  given  up,  and  for  many  hours 
of  many  days  she  sits  alone  upon  her  secluded  nest, 
and  neither  cold  nor  wet,  nor  even  the  approach  of 
danger  can  drive  her  from  it.  When  at  intervals  she 
leaves  to  seek  a  little  sustenance,  quickly  and  punc- 


THE    FIFTH    DAY.  433 

tually  she  returns,  lest  lier  precious  charge  should 
become  chilled.  With  tender  caution  every  egg  is 
covered  with  lier  body,  and  often  are  they  moved  and 
turned,  that  all  may  equally  partake  of  the  vital  heat. 
A  chemical  operation,  says  Addison,  could  nut  be 
followed  with  greater  art  or  diligence  than  is  seen  in 
hatching  the  young  brood ;  yet  is  the  process  carried 
on  without  the  least  glimmer  of  thought  or  conniion 
sense.  And  when  at  length  the  3'oung  burst  their 
prison  cells,  and  come  forth,  what  tenderness  of  affec- 
tion is  manifested  by  the  parent  birds !  How  they 
rejoice  over  them ;  how  they  lull  and  quiet  them  by 
their  gentle  notes  of  love;  put  food  into  their  little 
open  bills;  cover  them  with  their  feathers  and  keep 
them  warm ;  lead  them  forth  and  teach  them  to  pick 
and  gather  food  for  themselves ;  and  in  a  word,  "  per- 
form the  part  of  so  many  nurses,  deputed  by  the 
Sovereign  Lord  and  Preserver  of  the  world  to  help 
such  young  and  helpless  creatures." 

Another  fact  closely  related  to  the  foregoing,  and 
which  here  demands  notice  and  illustration,  is  the 
fecundity  of  birds.  And  God  blessed  them,  and  said, 
Be  fruitful,  and  multiply.  In  virtue  of  this  blessing, 
birds,  through  all  their  successive  generations,  have 
inherited  the  reproductive  energies  undiminished,  and 
have  increased  into  multitudes  that  cannot  be  num- 
bered ;  they  have  overspread  and  taken  possession  of 
every  part  and  portion  of  the  earth's  surface.     The 

groves  of  the  tropical  and  of  the  temperate  regions  are 
28 


434  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

eveiy where  vocal  Avith  their  various  notes  and  songs ; 
and  even  in  the  arctic  and  antarctic  regions,  the 
ground  is  often  covered  for  leagues  with  millions  on 
millions  of  them.  Whole  islands  are  buried  beneath 
their  mere  excrement  to  the  depth  of  several  feet. 
Captain  Flinders  saw  a  flock  of  sooty  petrels  pass  over 
him  in  Van  Diemen's  Land,  which  could  not  have 
contained  less  than  150,000,000.  And  Mr.  Audubon 
estimated  that  a  flock  of  pigeons  that  passed  over  him, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  must  have  contained  one 
billion  one  hundred  and  fifteen  millions  !  which  would 
require  for  their  support  not  less  than  eiglit  millions 
of  husJiels  of  grain  or  seed  daily !  And  yet  all  these 
are  but  a  part,  a  small  part,  of  the  whole  feathered 
family,  with  which  the  Creator  hath  peopled,  enlivened, 
and  adorned  our  world. 

One  more  subject  connected  with  the  fowls  of  the 
air  full  of  interest  and  wonder,  and  which  we  cannot, 
therefore,  pass  by  unnoticed,  is  their  migration.  A 
very  large  proportion — considerably  more  than  half — 
of  the  different  species  of  birds  undertake  regularly,  at 
certain  seasons  of  the  year,  long  and  distant  journeys 
from  one  clime  or  region  to  another.  Thus  our  little 
snow  birds,  on  the  return  of  warm  weather,  proceed 
northward,  and  spend  their  summers  in  the  regions  of 
the  arctic  circle ;  and  as  the  sun  declines  there  toward 
autumn,  they  return  again  to  pass  the  winter  with  us 
as  before.  The  swallows,  the  nightingales,  and  the 
quails,  which  so  much  enliven  the  summers  of  France 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  435 

and  the  British  Ishiiids,  as  the  fall  of  the  year 
approaches,  assemble  at  their  appointed  time,  take 
their  leave,  and  cross  sea  and  land  to  spend  the  winter 
months  on  the  northern  coasts  of  Africa.  In  like 
manner  our  oriole  and  bobolink,  that  charm  us  with 
their  sweet  and  varied  notes  in  the  sunny  days  of 
summer,  pass  their  winters  many  hundreds  of  miles 
nearer  the  warmer  regions  of  the  tropics;  whilst  our 
little  blue-bird  wings  his  flight  across  the  sea,  and 
makes  his  winter  home  in  the  distant  Bermudas.  The 
general  intention  of  these  remarkable  movements  seems 
to  be  to  secure  a  supply  of  food,  and  often,  a  suitable 
temperature  for  rearing  their  young.  The  manner  in 
which  these  migrations  are  performed  differ  in  different 
tribes.  Some  choose  to  travel  alone,  or  in  single  pairs; 
and  some  assemble  in  vast  flocks,  and  take  their  flight 
together  under  appointed  leaders.  And  w^hat  is  more 
remarkable  still,  in  some  species,  the  males  assemble 
and  depart  by  themselves,  leaving  the  females  to 
follow  them  after  an  interval  of  some  days ;  while  in 
other  species,  the  females  congregate  and  depart  first, 
leaving  their  mates  to  come  after  a  similar  interval. 
Some  birds  travel  by  day,  some  by  night,  and  some 
press  on  their  way  indifferently  both  day  and  night ; 
and  most  seem  to  pass  the  whole  of  their  migration 
without  sleep. 


436  THE  FIFTH  DA  Y. 

REFLECTIONS. 

Ill  the  preceding  pages  we  have  seen  that  the  num- 
bers and  varieties  of  birds  are  exceeding  great;  yet 
upon  careful  observation  and  close  study,  every  individ- 
ual species  is  found  to  embrace  in  its  organization 
contrivances  and  adaptations,  numerous  and  diversified,, 
that  fit  it  happily  and  in  all  respects  for  its  intended 
place,  and  to  accomplish  its  appointed  ends,  in  the 
general  system  of  animated  nature.  How  incompre- 
hensible the  wisdom  and  power  of  Him,  who  contrived 
and  executed  the  innumerable  forms  and  features,  and 
who  conceived  and  bestowed  the  faculties  and  endlessly 
diversified  instincts  of  the  whole  feathered  race,  as  now 
scattered  over  the  entire  seas  and  lands  of  the  globe ! 
Ere  the  creative  word  had  gone  forth,  and  ere  the 
morning  of  the  fifth  day  had  dawned,  all  potentially 
and  prospectively  existed  in  His  all-comprehending 
mind  as  dear  and  complete  as  they  now  exist  in  living 
reality — the  peculiarities  and  characteristics  that  were 
to  divide  them  into  their  several  orders,  classes,  and 
species ;  their  outward  forms  and  inward  constitutions ; 
the  locations  they  were  to  occupy,  and  the  habits  they 
should  follow ;  the  materials  they  should  employ,  and 
the  skill  they  were  to  exercise  in  building  their  nest 
habitations ;  the  seasons  at  which  they  should  severally 
pair,  the  number  of  eggs  they  should  lay,  and  the 
length  of  time  required  for  their  incubation ;  the 
texture,  the   arrangement,  and   the  coloring   of  their 


THE    FIFTH  DAY.  437 

plumage;  the  instincts  that  should  guide  them  in 
finding  and  selecting  their  food;  the  artifices  they 
should  practice  in  eluding  their  enemies,  and  in  catch- 
ing their  prey ;  the  notes  they  should  utter,  and  the 
songs  they  should  warble ;  their  individual  character, 
and  social  dispositions ;  their  passions  and  affections, 
pleasures  and  pastimes;  their  language  or  mode  of 
communication  with  each  other ;  the  force  and  fleetness 
with  which  they  should  fly  or  swim,  dart  through  the 
air,  or  dive  into  the  water;  the  periods  of  their 
longevity,  and  the  degrees  of  their  fecunditj^ ;  the 
times  at  which  they  should  depart  and  return  in  their 
stated  migrations;  the  relations  they  should  sustain 
and  the  ends  they  should  subserve  in  the  great  system 
of  nature — all  these,  and  a  thousand  other  things  con- 
nected with  them,  stood  forth  clear,  perfect,  and 
complete  before  the  omniscient  eye  of  the  Creator  as 
He  opened  His  lips  to  utter  the  words,  Let  the  icaters 
bring  forth  abundantly  the  fowl  that  may  fly  above  the 
earth,  in  the  open  firmament  of  heaven.  In  view  of 
such  a  display  of  the  Divine  Capacities,  how  fitting, 
Reader,  for  you  and  me,  the  adoring  exclamation, 
"  0  the  depth  of  the  riches  both  of  the  wisdom  and 
knowledge  of  God !" 

As  in  the  beauteous  creations  of  the  vegetable 
world,  and  among  the  countless  living  tenants  of  the 
deep,  so  also  among  the  birds  of  the  air,  we  behold 
indubitable  evidences  and  most  impressive  displays  of 
the  universal  and  constant  agency  of  God.     In  all  their 


438  THE    FIFTH   DAY. 

doings  and  movements,  the  guiding  finger  of  their 
Creator  is  clearly  seen.  Prior  to  all  experience, 
and  independent  of  all  instruction,  we  see  the  little 
feathered  tribes  undertake  and  accomplish  all  the 
ingenious  duties  of  their  being;  and  accomplish  them, 
too,  with  a  certainty  and  perfection  which  no  instruc- 
tion could  teach,  and  no  experience  improve.  The 
sparrow  performs  and  goes  through  with  the  whole 
wonderful  process  of  building,  laying,  hatching  and 
rearing,  as  successfully  the  first  time  as  the  last.  And 
whence  is  all  this  to  the  little  bird  of  the  air,  if  not 
from  the  omnipresent  and  infinite  Spirit?  Who  or 
what  leads  the  young  female  bird  to  prepare  a  nest, 
untaught  and  undirected,  long  before  she  has  need  of 
it  ?  Who  instructs  each  particular  species  in  its  own 
peculiar  style  of  architecture  ?  And  when  the  first 
egg  is  brought  forth,  who  teaches  her  what  she  must 
do  with  it  ?  or  that  it  is  a  thing  to  be  taken  care  of, 
that  it  must  be  laid  and  preserved  in  the  nest  ?  How 
comes  she  to  know  that  her  young  are  contained  in  the 
eggs  ?  for  certain  it  is,  that  there  is  nothing  in  the 
external  aspect,  or  in  the  internal  composition  of  them, 
which  could  lead  even  the  most  enlightened  and  sci- 
entific mind,  previous  to  experience,  to  conjecture  that 
out  of  them  presently  would  come  forth  living,  perfect 
birds  like  herself.  And  the  germ  of  future  life  being 
wrapped  in  the  egg,  wlio  teaches  its  little  owner  that 
heat  will  develop  and  mature  that  germ?  Who 
acquaints  her  with  the  fact  that,  her  own  body  pos- 


THE    FJFTU  DAY.  439 

sesses  the  precise  kind  und  degree  of  warmth  required  ? 
And  what  is  it  that  hukls  her  so  constantly  and  so 
long  upon  the  nest,  amid  light  and  darkness,  storm 
and  sunshine,  without  the  least  knowledge  or  idea  as 
to  what  the  result  or  fruit  of  all  this  toil  and  self-denial 
is  to  be  ?  Here,  then,  are  operations  carried  on,  and 
effects  produced,  which  nmst  constrain  every  candid 
mind  to  recognize  in  them  the  invisible  hand  of  God. 

Again,  the  m'Kjration  of  birds — how  astonishing  is 
all  this  ?  "  The  stork  in  the  heavens  knoweth  her 
appointed  times ;  and  the  turtle  and  the  crane  and  the 
swallow  observe  the  time  of  their  coming."  So  fixed 
are  the  dates  of  departing  and  returning  with  many 
tribes  of  the  feathered  race  that,  "in  certain  Eastern 
countries  at  the  present  day,  almanacs  are  timed  and 
bargains  struck  upon  the  data  they  supply."  Now, 
who  informs  them  that  the  day  is  come  for  them  to 
take  their  leave  ?  or  announces  to  them  that  the  time 
has  arrived  for  their  return?  Without  science,  with- 
out a  map,  without  a  compass,  without  a  waymark, 
who  acquaints  them  with  the  direction  they  are  to 
take?  or  measures  out  for  them  the  length  of  the 
journey  they  have  to  perform  ?  Who  enables  them  to 
pursue  undeviatingly  their  course  over  pathless  oceans, 
and  through  the  trackless  voids  of  the  atmosphere, 
alike  in  the  day  time  and  in  the  night  season,  and  to 
arrive  exactly  at  the  same  spot  from  year  to  year? 
To  whom  shall  we  ascribe  this  extraordinary  power — 
to  God,  or  to  the  little  bird  ?     It  must  be  either  to  the 


440  '^BE   FIFTH  DAY. 

one,  or  to  the  other.  It  is  obvious  that  the  little  bird 
does  not  possess  either  the  reasoning  powers,  or  the 
geographical  acquaintance,  or  the  meteorological  knowl- 
edge, which  would  enable  it  either  to  plan  or  to  carry 
out  such  astonishing  enterprises.  Indeed,  could  man 
thus,  amid  all  storms  and  darkness,  infallibly  steer  his 
voyages  over  the  main,  it  would  render  superfluous 
the  use  of  his  compass  and  sextant,  and  enable  him 
at  once  to  dispense  with  his  trigonometry  and 
logarithms.  Whatever  name,  then,  we  maj^  give  this 
mysterious  power,  and  in  whatever  light  we  may 
regard  these  astonishing  facts,  correct  and  sound  rea- 
soning, as  well  as  the  Scripture,  will  lead  us  to  the 
conviction  and  acknowledgment  of  the  illustrious 
Newton,  that  all  this  is  done  through  the  immediate 
influence  and  guidance  of  Him,  "  in  whom  all  live  and 
move  and  have  their  being,"  and  without  whom  "not 
a  sparrow  falleth  to  the  ground." 

In  the  feathered  population  of  our  globe  we  also 
behold,  not  proofs  only,  but  most  interesting  and  de- 
lightful displays  of  the  goodness  of  God.  The  very 
introduction  of  the  winged  race  into  the  new-made 
world  was,  in  itself,  a  demonstration  of  the  benevolence 
of  the  Divine  Mind,  as  they  constitute  one  of  its  most 
beautiful  and  lovely  features.  By  the  infinite  diversity 
of  their  forms,  sizes,  and  colors;  by  their  wonderful 
instincts,  and  endearing  associations;  by  their  varied, 
and  often  brilliant  plumage;  by  their  swift  and  airy 
and  playful  flights ;  by  their  interesting  and  instructive 


THE   FIFTH  DA  Y.  44  X 

works  and  habits ;  and,  by  their  diversified  notes  and 
warblings — tlic  birds  of  the  air  add  a  thousand  charms 
to  the  earth  as  a  habitation  for  man.  In  ways  without 
number  do  they  minister  both  to  his  pleasure  and  profit 
— with  their  voices  pouring  the  thrill  of  joy  into  the 
hope  of  his  youth ;  with  their  flesh  refreshing  the 
strength  of  his  manhood;  and  with  their  feathers 
soothing  and  warming  the  feebleness  of  his  old  age. 
Who  has  not  been  charmed  by  their  melodious  voices, 
resounding  like  a  song  of  praise  through  the  echoing 
forest  ?  AVho  has  not  felt  the  pleasing  inspiration  of 
their  presence,  when  contemplating  with  enraptured 
eye  the  lovely  face  of  nature  ?  In  opening  spring  and 
glorious  summer,  how  alive  is  every  grove  and  thicket 
with  their  busy  labors  and  cheery  songs.  And  all  this 
prevails  over  nearly  every  region  of  the  earth's  surface. 
If  we  leave  our  own  temperate  and  charming  zone,  and 
advance  to  the  higher  latitudes  of  the  globe,  and  pass 
within  the  polar  circles,  even  there  we  shall  witness 
similar  scones  of  happiness,  for  there  are  the  great 
breeding  grounds  of  the  sea-birds,  where  they  gather 
themselves  together  in  countless  myriads,  and  in  the 
midst  of  abundant  food  and  undisturbed  quietude, 
taste  the  sweets  of  that  mutual  love,  which  is  an 
emanation  of  the  Divine  Benevolence,  the  source  of  all 
happiness  to  earth  and  heaven.  Truly,  the  earth  is 
full  of  the  riches  of  God's  goodness ;  and  is  it  not  the 
design  and  desire  of  his  Paternal  Heart,  by  all  these 
wonders  of  love,  to  call  our  attention,  and  to  win  our 


442  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

affection   to   Himself,    as   the    Great   Fountain   of  all 


good  ? 


Birds  are  living  parables.  In  a  manner  equally 
beautiful  and  impressive  are  they  pointed  at  by  the 
Divine  Teacher  to  inspire  confidence  in  the  care  of  our 
heavenly  Father,  and  to  allay  within  us  all  undue 
anxiety  for  the  future.  Looking  down  in  the  tender 
and  abounding  compassion  of  His  soul  upon  benighted 
and  erring  humanity,  laboring,  restless,  fevered,  about 
the  petty  provisions  of  the  present  life;  anxiously 
looking  onward  to  the  future ;  borrowing  the  distresses 
of  the  morrow  to  aggravate  those  of  to-day;  loading 
themselves  with  burdens  of  grief  which  do  not  belong 
to  them,  and  which  they  are  not  required  to  bear — 
surveying  with  deep  compassion,  I  say,  this  scene  of 
toil,  and  sleepless  anxiety,  and  wasting  solicitude,  in 
Avhich  mortals  are  emljroiled,  the  Divine  Friend  of 
sinners,  the  Sympathizer  with  human  woe,  stretches 
forth  His  hand,  and  lifts  up  His  voice,  saying,  "  Take 
no  thought  for  your  life,  what  ye  shall  eat,  and  what 
ye  shall  drink ;  nor  yet  for  your  body,  what  ye  shall 
put  on.  Is  not  the  life  more  than  meat,  and  the  body 
than  raiment  ?  Behold  the  fowls  of  the  air ;  for  they 
sow  not,  neither  do  they  reap,  nor  gather  into  barns ; 
yet  your  heavenly  Father  feedeth  them.  Are  ye  not 
much  better  than  they  ?"  Than  this,  nothing  can  be 
more  beautiful  in  description,  nothing  more  conclusive 


s 


m  reasonnig. 


From  a  fowl  of  the  air  the  Great  Teacher,  who  spake 
as  never  man  spoke,  has  read  to  us  another  lesson  of 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  443 

inimitable  pathos  and  encouragement — it  is  from  the 
conduct  of  the  (Jomcstlc  hen  toward  her  young  brood. 
Behold  her :  what  devoted  affection,  how  vigilant  for 
their  safety,  how  diligent  for  their  sustenance,  how 
ready  to  interpose  even  her  life  for  their  protection ! 
When  an  enemy  appears,  how  anxiously  does  she  call 
to  assemble  them,  that  she  may  cover  them  under  her 
wings.  When  a  shower  or  when  the  night  approaches, 
with  what  kind  complacence  does  she  hide  them 
amongst  her  feathers,  and  communicate  to  them  the 
vital  wannth  of  her  own  body.  It  is  by  this  most 
beautiful  and  affecting  image  that  our  blessed  Lord  sets 
forth  the  anxious  and  inextinguishable  compassion  of 
His  heart  for  sinners,  even  for  the  most  guilty  and  un- 
grateful— "  0  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem  !  thou  that  killest 
the  prophets,  and  stonest  them  that  are  sent  unto  thee, 
how  often  would  I  have  gathered  thy  children  together, 
even  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens  under  her  wings, 
and  ye  would  not." 

To  the  foregoing,  I  cannot  resist  the  temptation  of 
adding  another  lesson  of  holy  writ,  drawn  from  the 
eagle's  method  of  exciting  her  young  to  attempt  their 
first  flight.  "As  an  eagle  stirreth  up  her  nest,  fluttereth 
over  her  young,  spreadeth  abroad  her  wings,  taketli 
them,  beareth  them  on  her  wings :  so  Jehovah  alone 
did  lead  him."  Of  a  part  of  this  instructive  proceeding 
of  the  eagle.  Sir  Humphrey  Davy  was  once  an  eye- 
witness. "  I  once  saw  a  very  interesting  sight,"  says 
he,  "  above  one  of  the  crags  of  Ben  Nevis.     Two  parent 


444  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

eagles  were  teaching  their  offspring,  two  young  birds, 
the  manoeuvres  of  flight.  They  began  by  rising  from 
the  top  ol'  the  mountain,  in  tiie  eye  of  the  sun;  it  was 
about  mid-day,  and  bright  for  that  cUmate.  They  at 
first  made  small  circles,  and  the  young  birds  imitated 
them;  they  paused  on  their  wings,  waiting  till  they  had 
made  their  first  flight,  and  then  took  a  second  and 
larger  gyration,  always  rising  towards  the  sun,  and  en- 
larging their  circle  of  flight,  so  as  to  make  a  gradually 
extending  spiral.  The  young  ones  still  slowly  followed, 
apparently  flying  better  as  they  mounted ;  and  they 
continued  this  sublime  kind  of  exercise,  alwaj's  rising, 
till  they  became  mere  points  in  the  air,  and  the  young 
ones  w^ere  lost  and  afterwards  their  parents  to  our 
achinsr  sio;ht." — What  a  lesson  is  there  in  this  narrative 
to  every  Christian  parent.  How  powerfully  does  this 
conduct  of  the  parent  eagles  appeal  to  such  to  teach 
their  children  betimes  to  look  toward  heaven  and  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness,  and  to  elevate  their  desires  and 
affections  thither  more  and  more  on  the  wings  of  faith 
and  love,  themselves  all  the  while  going  before  them, 
and  encouraging  them  by  their  example. 

IN8ECTS. 

And  God  created  every  winged  thing  after  his  kind. 

On  the  fifth  day  were  also  produced  the  Insect  popu- 
lation of  the  new-made  world,  for  these,  as  well  as 
birds,  must   be   included   in   the   term  tcinged  tiling. 


THE    FIFTU   DAY.  445 

This  department  of  aniinated  nature  presents  to  us  a 
field  of  study  all  but  illiniitaljle,  Insects  being  by  far 
the  most  numerous  and  diversified  of  all  the  living  or- 
ders that  occupy  the  dry  land.  Not  less  than  100,000 
different  species  are  already  known,  and  many  more, 
doubtless,  remain  to  be  discovered.  A  distinguished 
naturalist  has  made  the  statement,  that  there  are 
probably  six  species  of  insects  to  every  species  of  plants; 
this  estimate,  therefore,  would  make  the  entire  number 
of  insect  species  on  the  face  of  the  globe  considerably 
over  half  a  million.  The  insect  tribes  are  of  all  con- 
ceivable forms,  habits,  and  instincts.  Volumes  on  vol- 
umes have  been  written  concerning  their  organizations, 
powers,  and  doings,  yet  without  in  any  way  exhausting 
the  fruitful  subject. 

In  no  province  of  the  animal  kingdom  do  we  find 
Divine  invention,  design  and  adaptation,  more  diversi- 
fied, or  more  conspicuously  displayed,  than  in  the  insect 
race.  Upon  these  fairy  beings  the  Creator  has  bestowed 
by  far  the  choicest  gifts  of  animal  powers;  in  them 
may  be  discovered  all  the  mechanical  instruments  and 
apparatus  required  for  the  execution  of  those  varied 
movements  which  we  witness  in  the  larger  animals;  and 
which,  though  almost  peculiar  to  the  different  classes  of 
those  animals,  are  here  frequently  united  in  the  same 
individual.  Insects  swim,  dive,  creep,  walk,  run,  leap,  or 
fly,  with  as  much  facility  as  fishes,  reptiles,  quadrupeds,  or 
birds.  But  besides  these,  a  great  number  have  also  move- 
ments peculiar  to  themselves,  and  of  which  we  meet  no 
example  in  other  departments  of  the  animal  kingdom. 


446  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

To  fit  them  for  all  their  peculiar  movements  and 
functions,  the  insect  system  is  often  found  complicated 
and  wonderful  beyond  all  description.  A  distinguished 
French  entomologist  spent  several  years  in  examining 
the  structure  of  a  single  insect,  and  then  left  the  work 
unfinished.  In  the  body  of  an  insect  about  an  inch  long, 
another  naturalist  enumerated  306  plates,  composing 
the  structure  of  the  outer  envelope;  494  muscles 
for  putting  them  in  motion ;  24  j^airs  of  nerves ; 
and  48  pairs  of  breathing  organs.  Nothing  can  ex- 
ceed the  perfection  of  the  minutest  parts  of  the  insect 
organization.  The  finest  thread  in  a  spider's  web, 
which  can  scarcely  be  seen,  is  said  to  be  composed  of 
no  less  than  4,000  strands.  On  a  single  wing  of  a 
butterfly  have  been  found  100,000  scales;  and  on  that 
of  a  silkworm  moth  400,000;  each  of  these  minute 
scales  being  a  marvel  of  beauty  and  completeness  in 
itself.  So  thin  are  the  wings  of  many  insects  that 
50,000  placed  over  each  other  would  only  be  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  thick;  and  yet,  thin  as  they  are,  each  is 
double.  And  when  we  consider,  still  further,  the  in- 
comprehensibly delicate  contrivances,  and  exquisite 
borings,  and  claspings,  and  jointings,  which  enter  into 
the  frame  of  an  animated  being  a  thousand  times  less 
than  a  mite,  we  cannot  but  be  filled  with  adoring  wonder 
in  view  of  these  living  productions  of  the  Creator's  hand. 

The  bodies  of  insects  are  furnished  with  a  great 
variety  of  external  members  or  limbs.  They  have  in 
general  six  legs,  and  the  majority  of  them  four  wings; 


THE   FIFTH  DAY.  447 

to  these,  in  many  species,  are  added  aiitenna3  or  a  pair 
of  feelers,  an  awl  or  ovipositor,  a  ])roboseis,  and  in  a  few 
also  a  sting.  These  all  are  found  instruments  of  aston- 
ishing mechanical  contrivances  when  examined  through 
a  powerful  microscope.  Equally  remarkable  are  the 
mouths  of  insects;  here  wo  have  the  biting  jaws  of  the 
beetle,  the  piercing  proboscis  of  the  bug,  the  long  and 
elegant  sucker  of  the  butterlly,  the  licking  tongue  of 
the  bee,  the  cutting  lancets  of  the  horse-fly,  the  sting 
tube  of  the  gnat,  and  various  other  forms  and  modifica- 
tions of  this  important  organ. 

Insects  do  not  breathe  through  their  mouth ;  conse- 
quently they  have  no  voice,  no  power  of  song  or  speech. 
The  various  sounds  they  make,  it  is  said,  are  generally 
produced  by  their  wings.  The  air  is  brought  into  con- 
tact with  their  blood,  that  is  to  say,  they  breathe  by 
means  of  little  spiral  orifices  or  holes,  ranged  in  rows 
along  their  sides.  The  number  of  these  breathing 
orifices  differs  in  different  species ;  some  have  ten  pairs, 
some  twenty,  some  forty,  and  some  more  still.  A  few 
species  have  their  respiratory  apparatus  on  their  backs, 
while  others  still,  breathe  through  their  tails. 

Insects  are  endowed  with  all  the  senses  possessed  by 
larger  animals.  The  sense  of  touch  is  principally  seated 
in  the  antennae ;  it  is  by  means  of  these  organs  they 
seem  to  measure  bodies,  try  to  lift  them,  and  ascertain 
if  they  are  too  heavy,  too  hot,  or  too  cold.  Their  sense 
of  smell  is  delicate,  and  the  slightest  odor  appears  to 
strike  them;   distant  honey  attracts  bees,  and  tainted 


448  TEE  FIFTH  DAY. 

meat  draws  flies  from  afar.  Hearing  also,  in  many  at 
least,  is  quite  acute ;  grasshoppers,  spiders,  and  other 
insects  have  been  trained  to  respond  to  a  given  signal 
or  call.  Nor  has  the  sense  of  taste  been  denied  them, 
and  of  this  they  give  decided  evidence  whenever  a 
choice  is  set  before  them. 

Insects  are  likewise  endowed  with  siglit.  The  eyes 
in  numerous  species  are  among  the  most  curious  and 
wonderful  of  all  the  works  of  the  Creator  on  earth. 
Like  birds,  the  eyes  of  some  are  formed  to  see  in  the 
dusk,  and  those  of  others  in  the  broad  and  bright 
daylight.  Certain  aquatic  species  have  several  pairs, 
some  looking  up,  and  some  down;  so  that  while 
swimming  on  the  water,  the  little  creature  can  at  once 
see  the  fish  which  threatens  him  from  beneath,  and 
the  bird  that  is  ready  to  pounce  upon  him  from  above. 
Others  have  three  little  eyes,  arranged  in  the  form  of  a 
triangle,  on  their  heads,  making  three  powerful  micro- 
scopes; these  are  found  in  insects  inhabiting  dimly- 
lighted  places.  On  the  head  of  a  fly  are  two  large 
protuberances,  one  on  each  side ;  these  are  its  organs 
of  vision.  The  whole  surface  of  these  prominences  is 
covered  with  a  multitude  of  small  hemispheres, 
arranged  closely  and  with  the  utmost  regularity. 
These  little  hemispheres  have  each  of  them  a  minute 
transparent  convex  lens  in  the  middle,  each  of  which 
has  a  distinct  branch  of  the  optic  nerve  ministering 
to  it ;  so  that  the  different  lenses  may  be  considered  as 
80  many  distinct  eyes.     Of  these  eyes,  the  beetle  has 


TFIE    FIFTH    DAY.  449 

on  each  side  3,180;  the  eoiiinion  house-fly  4,000 ;  the 
droiie-fly  7,000;  and  the  dragon-lly  13,500 — each  of 
^vhich,  in  all  these,  is  capahle  of  receiving  and  Ibrniing 
a  distinct  image  of  any  ohject  that  may  stand  or  lie 
before  it.  Leuwenhoek,  having  adjusted  the  eye  of  a 
fly  for  the  purpose,  could  see  distinctly  in  each  of  these 
diminutive  lenses,  though  not  larger  than  the  point  of 
the  finest  needle,  the  whole  steeple  of  a  church,  which 
was  299  feet  high,  and  750  feet  distant;  and  then 
turning  it  toward  a  neighboring  house,  saw  through 
many  of  these  little  hemispheres,  not  only  the  front  of 
the  house,  but  also  the  doors  and  windows,  and  could 
discern  distinctly  whether  the  windows  were  open  or 
shut !  Such  a  piece  of  mechanism  transcends  all 
comprehension. 

Some  tribes  of  insects  appear  to  be  endowed  with  a 
faculty  answering,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  purposes  of 
speech.  They  utter  no  sounds,  indeed — none  at  least 
audible  to  the  human  ear ;  but  their  language  is  that 
of  signs  and  motions.  On  the  abstraction  of  the  queen- 
bee,  those  sensible  of  the  loss  have  been  observed,  in 
traversing  the  hive,  to  cross  their  antennoB  over  others 
they  may  encounter,  and  strike  them  gently,  on  which, 
as  if  distinctly  apprised  thereby  of  the  disaster,  the 
bees  which  thus  receive  the  intelligence  hurry  away  in 
the  greatest  uneasiness  and  alarm.  A  similar  mode  of 
communication  has  been  observed  among  ants.  Here 
the  signal  denoting  danger  is  made  by  the  ant  striking 

its  head  against  the  corselet  of  QXQvy  ant  which  it 
29 


450  THE   FIFTH  DAY. 

chances  to  meet.  Each  ant  on  receiving  this  intima- 
tion immediately  sets  about  repeating  the  same  signal 
to  the  next  ant  which  may  come  in  its  way ;  and  the 
alarm  is  thus  disseminated  with  astonishing  rapidity 
throughout  the  whole  society.  Sentinels  are,  at  all 
times,  stationed  on  the  outside  of  the  nest  for  the 
purpose  of  apprising  the  inhabitants  of  any  danger  that 
may  be  at  hand.  On  the  attack  of  an  enemy,  these 
guardians  enter  quickly  into  the  nest,  and  spread  the 
intelligence  on  every  side ;  the  whole  swarm  is  soon  in 
motion,  and  while  the  greater  number  of  ants  rush 
forward  with  desperate  fury  to  repel  the  attack,  others, 
which  are  entrusted  with  the  eggs  and  larvae,  hasten 
to  remove  their  charge  to  places  of  greater  security. 

Many  of  the  insect  tribes  also  give  unmistakable 
evidence  of  their  being  actuated  by  the  passions  of  love 
and  hatred,  joy  and  fear,  sympatliy  and  anger.  These 
are  plainly  exhibited  in  some  by  significant  actions, 
and  in  others  by  a  variety  of  sounds,  which,  however 
inexpressive  to  the  careless  observer,  are  doubtless  full 
of  meaning  to  themselves.  Accordingly,  we  sometimes 
see  them  fearless  with  anger,  sometimes  fleeing  in 
terror,  sometimes  intoxicated  with  pleasure;  now  we 
witness  them  courting  their  favorites,  and  now  assault- 
ing their  enemies ;  here  we  behold  them  fluttering  in 
joyous  aflection  over  their  young,  there  exulting  in 
triumph  over  their  foes.  These  are  all  scenes  oftep 
observed  in  and  about  both  the  hive  and  the  ant-hill, 
And  demonstrations  of  insect  passions  equally  striking 


TUB  FIFTH  DAY.  451 

may  be  daily  witnessed  around  every  spider's  retreat. 
Let  a  fly,  tlirough  carelessness  or  by  accident,  become 
entangled  in  his  web,  and  what  a  spectacle  ensues ! 
How  manifest  the  terror  and  despair  of  the  unfortunate 
fly  at  the  approach  of  its  inexorable  enemy — how 
frantic  its  efibrts  to  escape  from  his  clutches — how 
touching  its  last  and  dying  struggles !  On  the  other 
hand,  what  exultation  in  the  spider ;  what  ferocity  in 
plunging  his  fangs  into  his  helpless  victim ;  what 
malignant  cruelty  in  every  movement !  Who  can 
contemplate  such  a  scene,  and  not  be  sensibly  affected 
even  by  the  passions  of  insects ;  or  fail  to  regard  them 
as  a  vivid  mimicry  of  the  mightier  paroxysms  of  man  ? 
Insects  excel  in  strength.  Their  muscles  are  en- 
dowed, in  proportion  to  their  size,  with  power  far 
superior  to  that  of  larger  animals.  Ants  will  carry 
loads  which  are  forty  or  fifty  times  heavier  than  their 
own  weight.  The  beetle  can  move  a  w^eight  one 
hundred  and  twelve  times  greater  than  its  own.  The 
house-fly's  wing  has  a  power  of  six  hundred  strokes  in 
a  second,  which  can  impel  it  through  a  space  of  thirty- 
five  feet ;  whilst  the  speed  of  a  race  horse  is  but  ninety 
feet  a  second.  A  dragon-fly  can  dart  through  the  air 
at  the  rate  of  sixty  miles  an  hour ;  and  the  dexterity 
of  this  insect  is  more  surprising  than  its  swiftness,  for 
it  is  able  to  do  what  no  bird  can — it  is  able  to  stop 
instantaneously  in  the  midst  of  its  most  rapid  course, 
and  change  the  direction  of  its  flight,  going  sideways  or 
backward,  without  altering  the  position  of  its  body. 


452  TUE    FIFTH   DAY. 

Thousands  of  bees  hang  one  to  another,  without  de- 
taching or  tearing  asunder  the  feet  of  the  upper  ones : 
how  many  human  beings  could  thus  hang  one  upon 
another?  Were  an  elephant  as  strong  in  proportion  to 
its  weight  as  a  stag-beetle,  it  would  be  able  to  tear  up 
rocks  and  level  mountains.  The  strength  of  insects 
appears  equally  astonishing  in  the  distances  many  of 
them  are  capable  of  leaping.  The  cuckoo-spit  frog- 
hopper  can  leap  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  times 
its  own  length ;  and  could  a  horse  spring  the  distance, 
in  proportion  to  his  weight,  that  a  flea  can  in  proportion 
to  its  weight,  he  could  at  once  clear  the  loftiest  peak 
of  the  Andes,  and  at  a  single  bound  cross  a  continent. 
The  feats  of  agility  and  strength  exhibited  by  insects 
are,  indeed,  very  surprising. 

Nothing,  perhaps,  connected  with  insects  has  so 
much  arrested  the  attention  and  excited  the  wonder 
of  common  observers,  as  their  mode  of  o-eproduction. 
Almost  all  the  insect  species  are  oviparous,  and  their 
progeny  pass  through  four  distinct  states  of  existence. 
They  are  first  contained  in  eggs,  which  are  deposited 
by  their  parents  in  suitable  situations,  and  with  a 
degree  of  instinctive  care,  which  fills  us  with  wonder. 
From  the  eggs  they  are  hatched  into  active  and 
rapacious  grubs,  maggots,  or  caterpillars,  according  to 
the  tribe  to  which  they  belong.  Having  attained  their 
maturity  in  this  latter  state,  they  retire  to  some  safe 
retreat,  and  envelop  themselves  in  silk,  or  wrap  them- 
selves in  a  covering  of  leaves,  or  entomb  themselves  in 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  453 

the  earth,  according  to  the  habits  of  the  species;  and 
now  for  a  time,  with  many  of  them,  all  appearance  of 
vitahty  is  suspended,  and  they  seem  hke  miniature 
mummies.  Having  remained  till  the  proper  season  in 
this  chrysalis  state,  as  it  is  termed,  they  burst  and 
throw  oif  the  vestments  of  the  tomb,  and  with  beauty 
of  form,  and  with  powers  before  unknown,  they  come 
forth  perfect  insects,  and  enter  upon  the  duties  and 
enjoyments  of  their  fourth  and  last  stage  of  existence. 
Nothing  can  be  more  wonderful  than  these  transforma- 
tions. Here  we  behold  a  hairy  caterpillar  metamor- 
phosed into  a  gorgeous  butterfly — and  observe  how 
great  the  change.  We  have  four  beautiful  wings 
where  there  were  none  before ;  a  tubular  proboscis  in 
the  place  of  a  mouth,  with  jaws  and  teeth;  six  long 
legs  instead  of  fourteen  feet !  Herein  we  see  a  most 
astonishing  process,  indeed,  and  one  full  of  interest  and 
hopeful  intimation  to  man,  as  we  shall  presently  have 
occasion  to  state  more  at  large. 

The  blessing  of  fecundity  was  bestowed  in  all  its 
power  and  fulness  upon  the  insect  races,  as  upon  the 
fish  of  the  sea  and  the  fowls  of  the  air.  Indeed,  all 
language  is  inadequate  to  convey  an  idea  of  "the 
power  to  bring  forth  "  with  which  these  little  creatures 
were  endowed  in  the  day  of  their  creation.  They 
have  multiplied  till  they  have  literally  covered  the 
whole  earth.  They  abound  wherever  we  go;  they 
enter  our  houses  and  dwell  with  us;  they  cross  our 
paths,  frequent   our   gardens,  swarm   our   fields,  buzz 


454  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

through  the  woods,  and  swim  upon  the  waters.  Their 
hum  falls  upon  our  ear  by  day  and  by  night.  The 
fecundity  of  insects,  of  course,  is  more  marked  in  some 
species  than  in  others.  The  spider  will  produce  from 
100  to  200  of  its  kind  at  a  single  brood.  A  house-fly 
will  lay  177  eggs.  Some  silk-worms  lay  from  1,000  to 
2,000  eggs;  the  wasp  deposits  3,000;  the  ant  from 
4,000  to  5,000.  The  queen-bee,  according  to  Kirby 
and  Spence,  lays  in  one  season  a  number  ranging  from 
40,000  to  50,000.  But  above  all,  the  white  ant 
produces  86,400  eggs  each  day,  which,  continuing  for  a 
month,  gives  the  astonishing  number  of  2,592,000 — a 
number  far  exceeding  that  produced  by  any  known 
animal  above  animalcula.  These  may  appear  like  the 
statements  in  which  a  fictionist  might  indulge,  but 
they  are  the  sober  truths  discovered  by  the  most 
painstaking  and  cautious  observers.  And  it  seems  to 
be  necessary  that  such  conditions  should  prevail. 
These  insects,  and  all  the  lower  tribes  of  the  animal 
kingdom,  furnish  food  for  the  more  elevated  races. 
Thousands  are  born  in  an  hour,  and  millions  upon 
millions  perish  in  a  day. 

In  many  low  and  luxuriant  regions,  gnats,  mos- 
quitoes, and  a  variety  of  other  insects,  thicken  the 
whole  atmosphere;  while  in  other  districts,  that  are 
higher  and  drier,  the  ground  is  alive  with  ants, 
crickets,  grasshoppers,  and  innumerable  hosts  of  other 
tribes.  Swarms  of  locusts  have  sometimes  shut  out 
the  light  of  the  sun,  and  laid  waste  whole  kingdoms. 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  455 

At  the  call  of  Moses,  "  locusts  came  up  over  the  land 
of  Egypt,  and  rested  in  all  her  coasts ;  very  grievous 
were  they,  for  they  covered  the  face  of  the  whole  earth, 
so  that  the  land  was  darkened ;  and  they  did  eat  every 
herb  of  the  land,  and  all  the  fruit  of  the  trees;  and 
there  remained  not  any  green  thing  in  the  trees,  or  in 
the  herbs  of  the  field,  throughout  all  the  land  of 
Egypt."  The  prophet  Joel  gives  a  most  animated 
description  of  a  similar  visitation,  that  was  brought  on 
the  land  of  Judea,  at  a  later  period,  for  the  iniquity  of 
the  people. 

Modern  travellers  have  frequently,  and  in  different 
parts  of  the  globe,  witnessed  scenes  that  abundantly 
corroborate  these  accounts  of  the  sacred  volume.  Mr. 
Barrow  records  that,  in  the  Southern  district  of  Africa, 
which  he  visited,  the  surface  of  nearly  2,000  square 
miles  might  be  said  to  be  covered  by  locusts.  The 
water  of  a  wide  river  was  scarcely  visible  in  conse- 
quence of  the  innumerable  drowned  locusts  which 
floated  on  its  surface.  By  and  by  these  countless  hosts 
were  driven  into  the  sea  by  a  violent  wind ;  and  their 
bodies,  being  thrown  back  again  on  the  shore,  formed 
a  bank  about  three  feet  high,  and  of  many  miles  iu 
length.  Another  eye-witness  of  a  locust  army  says, 
"  The  column  extended  five  miles,  and  the  insects  flew 
so  close  together  that  they  darkened  the  light  of  the 
sun  as  an  eclipse ;  whilst  the  sound  of  their  wings  was 
as  the  distant  roar  of  the  ocean  in  a  storm."  Thus  we 
see  that  the  blessing  of  reproducing  power,  bestowed 


456  T^^  FIFTH  DAY. 

on  the  fifth  day,  still  remains  unwasted  and  undimin- 
ished after  the  lapse  of  so  many  ages. 

Of  all  animated  beings,  insects  exhibit  the  most 
numerous,  and  the  most  surprising  displays  of 
instinctive  sagacity.  This  opens  to  the  student  of 
nature  a  wide  field  of  wonders;  but  our  limits  will 
permit  us  to  notice  a  few  examples  only. 

The  ingenuity,  cunning,  and  stratagems  of  the  Spider, 
have  been  subjects  of  observation  and  interest  from 
remote  antiquity.  Solomon  mentions  this  little  crea- 
ture among  the  small  things  that  are  wise  upon  the 
earth,  and  as  manifesting  its  wisdom  by  "  taking  hold 
with  her  hands."  And  truly,  what  the  spider  does 
with  her  hands,  and  her  spinning  organs,  is  very 
wonderful.  The  garden  spider  is  a  most  skilful 
aeronaut,  and  practised  his  art  with  consummate  suc- 
cess, long  ages  before  its  discovery  by  man ;  it 
constructs  its  balloon  with  silk  of  its  own  manufacture, 
and  wafts  along,  or  ascends  on  high,  with  ease  and 
rapidity,  in  its  airy  chariot.  The  water  sender,  from 
time  immemorial,  has  been  familiar  with  all  the 
triumphs  of  the  diving-bell ;  it  fabricates  for  itself  a 
covering  in  which  it  can  safely  dive,  remain  at  the 
bottom  of  pools  and  streams,  there  build  for  itself  a 
dry  and  comfortable  habitation ;  from  this  it  daily 
ascends  in  quest  of  prey,  and  having  secured  it,  carries 
it  down  to  his  subaquatic  mansion,  to  be  devoured  at 
its  pleasure.  Another  species,  called  the  builder,  is 
eminently  gifted  with   architectural   talents;    but   its 


THE    FIFTH   DAY.  457 

structures  arc  always  under  ground.  There  it  ex- 
cavates rooms,  bores  galleries,  forms  vaults,  constructs 
bridges,  and  carves  out  entrances.  Its  habitation, 
when  completed  and  garnished,  is  always  remarkable 
for  the  extreme  neatness  which  reigns  there.  What- 
ever the  humiditv  of  the  soil  in  which  it  is  built,  water 
never  penetrates  it ;  the  walls  are  nicely  covered  with 
tapestry  of  silk,  having  usually  the  lustre  of  satin,  and 
are  almost  always  of  dazzling  whiteness.  But  the  most 
remarkably  ingenious  of  all  the  contrivances  about  its 
habitation  is  the  door  at  its  entrance,  which  lacks 
nothing  but  a  lock,  for  it  is  nicely  fitted  to  a  frame, 
and  actually  works  upon  a  hinge.  This  door,  upon 
close  examination,  is  found  to  be  a  complicated  fabric, 
being  formed  of  no  less  than  thirty  layers  of  earth  and 
web,  emboxed  in  each  other.  On  the  outside,  it  is 
coated  with  soil  similar  to  the  surrounding  earth,  so 
that  the  existence  of  an  entrance  would  hardly  be 
suspected.  And  what  is  very  striking,  the  door  is 
so  hinged  that,  whether  the  spider  enters  or  goes  out, 
it  is  sure  to  shut  of  itself  The  advantage  of  this 
adjustment  is  great  and  obvious;  for,  whether  it  darts 
out  upon  its  prey,  or  retreats  before  an  enemy,  no  time 
need  be  lost  in  shutting  the  door.  In  these  operations 
of  spiders,  we  discover  designs  so  wise,  contrivances  so 
happy,  and  adaptations  so  successful,  as  plainly  prove 
that  the  blessed  Creator  has  taught  each  the  lessons  of 
its  life-duties. 

Equally  remarkable  are   the   instinctive  doings  of 


458  THE   FIFTH  DAY. 

Ants.  These  diminutive  creatures  live  in  numerous 
communities,  and  under  a  republican  form  of  govern- 
ment, every  individual  enjoying  a  large  measure  of 
personal  liberty,  having  its  own  special  office,  and 
performing  its  duties  with  assiduous  diligence.  They 
constitute  a  united,  peaceful,  and  happy  society.  Of 
ants  there  are  several  distinct  species,  and  we  glance 
first  at  what  are  familiarly  called  hill-ants.  In  building 
their  habitation,  the  first  business  with  these  is  to 
excavate  a  cavity  in  the  earth ;  this  accomplished, 
one  troop  immediately  sets  about  collecting  suitable 
materials,  and  working  them  into  a  roof  over  the 
entrance ;  while  another  detachment  mixes  up  the 
earth  with  particles  of  leaves  and  grass,  thus  rendering 
it  more  suitable  for  building.  Here  and  there  open 
spaces  are  left,  which,  after  the  skeleton  of  the  building 
is  completed,  are  converted  into  galleries,  which  lead  to 
different  apartments,  all  of  which  meet  in  a  large 
chamber  in  the  centre  of  the  nest,  which  is  the  favorite 
residence  of  the  ants.  The  roof  is  of  a  conical  form, 
and  is  neatly  thatched  with  straw,  so  as  to  shed  all 
rain.  They  work  principally  in  the  day-time ;  toward 
night  all  the  avenues,  like  the  gates  of  a  walled  city, 
are  carefully  closed  one  after  another,  with,  what  must 
seem  to  them,  huge  logs  of  timber.  Before  the  last  is 
thus  secured,  they  retire  inside  to  repose  for  the  night ; 
three  or  four,  however,  remain  outside  to  perform  the 
duty  of  sentinels.  Early  every  morning  the  avenues 
are  again  opened,  and   the  ants  resume  their  several 


HABITATIONS  OF  TERMITES,  OR  WHITE  ANTS. 


/ 


THE    FIFTU  DAY.  459 

avocations.  In  rainy  weather  they  remain  closed  the 
entire  day ;  and  at  any  time  that  rain  commences,  they 
are  forthwith  barricaded. 

The  sagacity  of  these  tiny  people  is  truly  marvellous. 
A  close  and  experienced  observer  once,  watching  with 
interest  their  various  movements,  discovered  one  trying 
to  drau'  alonn;  a  little  bit  of  wood  much  larger  than  its 
own  body.  "After  getting  along  for  a  time  pretty 
well,"  says  he,  "  the  poor  little  fellow  came  to  a  steep 
ascent,  and  found,  to  his  utter  dismay,  that  it  was  too 
heavy,  and  that  he  could  proceed  with  it  no  further. 
Some  of  his  friends,  however,  happening  to  pass  by, 
came  to  his  assistance,  and  by  their  united  efforts  the 
piece  of  wood  was  soon  placed  on  the  summit.  They 
then  left  our  hero  to  work  by  himself,  fearing,  perhaps, 
that  further  assistance  might  lead  to  indolence.  So  all 
alone  he  again  manfully  resumed  his  task ;  but,  alas ! 
a  fresh  difficulty  soon  presented  itself.  His  load  was 
thicker  at  one  end  than  at  the  other,  and  while 
dragging  it  along,  he  incautiously  drew  it  in  between 
two  pieces  of  wood,  where  it  remained  firmly  fixed. 
He  pulled,  and  pulled,  but  in  vain ;  there  it  staid. 
He  paused — at  length,  as  if  a  happy  thought  had 
struck  him,  he  darted  to  the  other  end,  and  dragged  it 
out,  took  it  a  short  way  round,  and  soon  arrived  at 
his  destination."*  Here  we  see  instinctive  sagacity 
carried  to  the  very  borders  of  reason  itself. 

Let  us  look  at  another  species,  the  Legionary  Ant. 

*  Imperial  Magazine,  No.  127. 


460  TS^  FIFTH  DAY. 

These  live  in  great  part  by  plunder,  and  enslaving 
ants  of  another  class.  The  history  of  one  of  their 
marauding  expeditions,  as  given  by  Huber,  is  full  of 
interest,  and  will  serve  to  convey  an  idea  of  their 
general  character.  Whilst  walking  in  the  environs 
of  Geneva,  towards  the  close  of  a  fine  summer's  day, 
"  I  observed,"  says  he,  "  close  at  my  feet,  traversing 
the  road,  a  column  of  legionary  ants.  They  moved 
with  considerable  rapidity,  and  occupied  a  space  of 
from  eight  to  ten  inches  in  length,  by  three  or  four  in 
breadth.  They  soon  approached  a  nest  inhabited  by 
a  colony  of  the  negro  ants,  the  dome  of  which  rose 
above  the  grass.  Some  of  the  negroes  were  guarding 
the  entrance ;  but  on  the  discovery  of  an  approaching 
army,  darted  forth  on  the  advancing  legion.  The 
alarm  spread  instantly  into  the  interior,  whence  their 
companions  rushed  forth  in  multitudes  to  defend  their 
homes.  The  legionaries,  the  bulk  of  whose  army  lay 
only  at  the  distance  of  two  paces,  quickened  their 
march,  and  when  thev  arrived  at  the  hill,  the  whole 
battalion  fell  furiously  upon  the  negroes,  who,  after 
an  obstinate  though  brief  contest,  fled  to  their  subterra- 
nean galleries.  The  legionaries  now  ascended  the 
dome,  collected  in  crowds  on  the  summit,  and  taking 
possession  of  the  principal  avenues,  left  some  of  their 
companions  to  excavate  other  openings  in  the  exterior 
walls.  They  soon  effected  this,  and  through  the 
breach  the  remainder  of  the  army  made  their  entrance; 
but  in  about  three  or  four  minutes  afterwards  issued 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  461 

forth  again,  each  carrying  a  pupa  or  grub,  with  which 
booty  they  retraced  their  route.  On  aniviiii^  at  their 
own  encampment,  thus  laden  with  the  trophies  of 
victory,  their  domestic  servants,  of  the  same  negro 
race,  came  forth  to  welcome  tlie  returning  warriors, 
caressing  them,  and  presenting  them  with  food ;  whilst 
the  legionaries,  in  their  turn,  handed  over  to  them 
their  baby  captives  to  be  carried  into  the  interior  of 
the  nest,  there  to  be  nursed  and  cared  for  until  they 
arrived  at  maturity.  From  which  it  appears  that  the 
only  object  of  these  predatory  expeditions,  is  to  obtain 
possession  of  the  young,  while  in  the  insensible  state 
of  pupa,  or  ant  babyhood.  The  plunderers  never 
make  prisoners  of  the  old  negroes.  The  consequence 
is,  that  all  their  captives  become  domesticated  without 
difficulty,  and  become  obedient  and  useful  servants  to 
their  owners — nursing  their  young,  transporting  them 
from  one  part  of  the  colony  to  another,  gathering 
provisions,  building  new  galleries,  and  acting  as  faithful 
guards  and  sentinels  to  their  captors,  who  rest  tran- 
quilly at  the  bottom  of  their  subterranean  city,  till  the 
hour  fixed  for  another  expedition  arrives." 

To  witness  such  performances  carried  on  among 
insects  amazes,  and  well  nigh  confounds  us !  And  the 
reader,  while  he  wonders  at  the  striking  indications 
of  intelligence  which  they  exhibit,  may  be  startled, 
and,  perhaps,  shocked,  to  discover  thus  a  perfect 
system  of  invasion,  capture  and  slavery,  even  among 
ants.     But  a  moment's  reflection  may  serve  to  relieve 


462  TEE    FIFTU    DAY. 

his  mind.  The  captives  are  as  avcII  off  here  as  they 
would  have  been  in  their  own  colony;  they  are  con- 
scious of  no  degradation,  and  fare  in  all  respects  as 
well  as  their  masters. 

Let  us  take  one  more  example  of  instinctive  skill 
and  sagacity,  that  of  the  Bee.  No  nation  of  the  earth, 
it  has  been  said,  has  had  its  history  written  so  often  as 
this  curious  little  insect.  Bees  live,  not  singly  or  in 
pairs,  but  in  large  communities,  of  which  the  Queen-bee 
is  mother  as  well  as  sovereign,  who  is  always  treated 
with  the  greatest  respect  and  attention  by  all  her 
subjects.  Bees  are  altogether  a  most  wonderful  people 
— their  regulations  and  loyalty,  their  science  in  plan- 
ning their  habitations,  their  skill  in  building  them, 
their  division  of  labor,  their  co-operation  in  difficulties, 
their  economy  of  provisions  and  materials,  their  un- 
tiring industry,  their  providence  in  accumulating  for 
the  future,  their  inviolable  observance  of  law  and 
order,  and  their  consequent,  undisturbed  harmony  and 
peace  as  a  society — are  all  subjects  of  most  interesting 
and  instructive  study.  The  interior  of  the  hive  pre- 
sents us,  indeed,  with  a  concourse  of  marvels ;  it  is  a 
city  on  a  small  scale,  with  its  dwellings  and  streets, 
built  on  the  most  perfect  plan  that  could  possibly  have 
been  contrived  for  the  use  of  the  inhabitants.  Some 
of  these  buildings  are  storehouses  for  food ;  in  some  the 
citizens  live ;  and  a  few,  more  capacious  than  the  rest, 
are  for  the  royal  family.  And  the  material  of  which 
this  city  is  built  is  one  which  man,  with  all  his  skill 


THE   F.FTII  DAY.  463 

and  resources,  knows  not  how  to  [jroduce;  and  tlie  city 
itself  tlie  most  experienced  arcliitect  could  not  have 
phinned  with  more  wisdom. 

Tlie  combs  are  composed  of  two  ranges  of  cells 
opening  on  the  opposite  sides;  these  are  built  about 
half  an  inch  apart,  thus  leaving  a  conunodious  street 
between  them.  There  are  also  openings  left  through 
diiferent  parts  of  the  combs,  forming  cross  lanes,  to 
save  time  in  going  round.  The  shape  of  each  cell  in 
the  comb  is  that  of  a  hexagon,  or  six-sided  tube.  This 
figure  possesses  many  important  advantages  over  every 
other  that  could  have  been  employed — no  space  or 
room  is  lost,  the  cells  fitting  close  together ;  the  great- 
est saving  of  wax  is  secured,  each  partition  forming  the 
sides  of  two  contiguous  cells,  and  one  floor  answering 
for  the  two  ranges  of  cells.  By  adopting  this  figure 
and  arrangement,  each  cell  is  also  greatly  strengthened 
by  all  the  adjoining  cells.  The  bottom  of  every  cell  is 
not  a  flat  piece,  but  terminates  in  a  three-sided  point, 
and  this  rests  against  the  point  where  three  partitions 
meet  on  the  other  side,  and  is  thus  supported  by  the 
walls  of  the  cell  opposite,  which  gives  it  all  the 
strength  possible,  while  this  is  exactly  the  best  plan  to 
save  the  wax  and  the  room. 

This  problem  was  once  given  to  a  celebrated  mathe- 
matician, namely.  To  show  Jioiv  a  certain  quantity  of 
ivax  could  he  made  to  form  cells  of  the  same  size  and 
shape,  so  as  to  give  the  greatest  strength  and  the  most 
room,  and  at  tlie  same  time  to  use  the  smallest  amount 
of  the   material.     After   considering   the   question   in 


464  THE  FIFTU  DAY. 

every  aspect  possible,  and  trying  it  by  the  strictest 
rules  of  geometry,  the  answer  proved  that  the  bees  had 
acted  as  if  acquainted  with  all  these  principles,  and 
had,  in  the  most  simple  and  perfect  manner,  secured 
every  advantage  of  arrangement  in  the  building  of 
their  cells.  How  marvellous  that  a  diminutive  insect, 
so  trifling  in  the  sight  of  man,  should  be  able  to  do  all 
this !  And  what  unspeakably  heightens  the  marvel  is, 
that  every  young  swarm,  without  instruction  and 
without  experience,  in  its  first  attempt,  accomplishes 
this  feat  of  scientific  arrangement  with  exquisite  per- 
fection and  unerring  skill ! 

In  the  form,  material,  arrangement  and  connection 
of  the  cells  in  the  honey-comb,  we  see  what  is 
unquestionably  the  result  of  intelligence,  and  of  no 
ordinary  intelligence,  as  they  embrace  profound  mathe- 
matical principles,  which  man  has  only  attained  by 
difficult  and  protracted  study.  And  now  the  question 
is,  whose  intelligence?  To  ascribe  it  to  the  insect 
would  be  to  endow  the  infant-bee  with  scientific 
ability,  rivalling  that  of  a  Bernoulli  or  a  Brougham. 
But  if  this  we  cannot  do,  it  remains  for  us  only  to 
ascribe  it  to  the  Omnipresent  God,  who  worketh  all 
in  all.  Blind,  indeed,  must  he  be,  or  what  is  worse, 
wilfully  perverse,  who  can  view  all  this,  and  fail 
or  refuse  to  acknowledge  the  guiding  power  of  the 
Supreme  and  Universal  Mind  in  it.  All  nature,  and 
all  life,  down  to  the  minutest  of  the  insect  tribes, 
reveal  a  present  Deity.  Their  mysterious  Avorks  and 
ways  are  only  intelligible  in  such  a  presence.     And  in 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  465 

the  marvels  of  the  Bee-hive  we  witness  special  and 
vivid  evidences  of  the  presence  and  agency  of  the 
Unseen  Creator. 

REFLECTIONS. 

Insects,  like  every  other  class  of  living  creatures, 
have  then'  place  to  occupy,  and  their  office  to  fulfil  in 
the  Divine  plan,  and  form  an  essential  link  in  the 
great  chain  of  animated  nature.  Small  and  insig- 
nificant as  they  appear,  viewed  singly,  yet  taken 
collectively,  they  make  up  armies  far  more  potent  and 
formidable  than  either  Alexander,  or  Caesar,  or  Bona- 
parte ever  mustered;  and  these  being  everywhere 
dispersed,  and  daily  and  hourly  at  w^ork  in  their 
several  departments,  they  constitute  an  agency  of  great 
power,  and  no  doubt  of  great  good,  in  the  economy  of 
the  world.  We  may  not  be  able  to  determine  how, 
or  what,  each  particular  species  contributes  to  the 
benefit  of  the  great  whole ;  but  we  may  be  sure  that 
their  great  variety  of  organs,  and  their  wonderful 
instinctive  capacities,  have  been  bestowed  upon  them 
for  ends  worthy  of  the  wisdom  that  produced  them. 
The  works  of  the  Lord  are  perfect,  and  nothing  has 
been  made  in  vain. 

" Each  moss, 


Each  shell,  each  crawling  insect  holds  a  rank 
Important  in  the  plan  of  Ilim  who  framed 
This  scale  of  beings  ;  holds  a  rank,  which,  lost, 
Would  break  the  chain,  and  leave  a  gap. 
That  nature's  self  would  rue." 
30 


466  THE  FIFTH  DAY. 

Insects  are  an  ornament  to  the  earth's  scenery,  and, 
no  doubt,  were  designed  by  the  munificent  Creator  to 
be  objects  of  pleasurable  observation  and  study  to  man. 
"  Next  to  the  birds,"  says  Kirby,  "  nothing  adds  more 
to  the  life  of  the  scenes  before  us,  than  the  vast  variety 
of  insects  that  are  flying,  running  and  jumping  about 
in  all  directions,  all  engaged  in  their  several  pursuits — 
the  bees  humming  over  the  flowers,  the  butterflies 
opening  and  shutting  their  painted  wings  to  the  sun, 
the  swarming  gnats  in  ceaseless  maze  rising  and  falling 
alternately  in  the  sunbeams,  the  beetle  wheeling  his 
drowsy  flight,  others  coursing  over  the  ground,  and  the 
grasshopper  chirping  in  every  bank — all  adding  to  the 
general  harmony,  and  combining  to  make  the  general 
picture  one  of  life  and  love ;  and  speaking,  each  in  a 
different  sort  and  manner,  the  praises  of  its  Creator, 
and  calling  upon  man  to  join  in  the  general  hymn." 

The  insect  creation,  at  which  we  have  now  glanced, 
teaches  us  that  God  is  to  be  seen  in  the  least  as  well 
as  in  the  greatest  of  His  works.  He  is  in  all  and 
through  all.  The  guidance  of  His  finger  is  to  be 
traced  as  distinctly  in  the  circles  of  the  spider  s  web  as 
in  the  orbits  of  the  planets ;  and  the  operation  of  His 
hand  is  as  plainly  seen  in  the  lustre  of  an  insect's  Aving, 
as  in  the  resplendent  disk  of  the  sun,  which  sheds 
light  and  life  on  surrounding  globes.  When  we  con- 
template the  insect  world — the  vast  number  and 
variety  of  its  species;  the  wonderful  powers  and 
faculties  with  which  they  are  endowed;  the  delicacy 


THE    FIFTH   DAY.  467 

and  complication  of  their  parts;  their  strength  of 
limbs  and  swiftness  of  flight;  their  exquisite  organs 
of  sight  and  touch  and  smell  and  hearing;  their 
quickness  to  discern  their  enemies,  and  their  ability  to 
comnuniicatc  alarm ;  their  manifestation  of  love  and 
hatred,  anger  and  joy;  their  ingenious  homes  and 
instinctive  skill ;  their  reproductive  energies  and  mar- 
vellous transformations ;  their  cunning,  artifice,  and 
stratagems;  their  tact,  industry,  and  perseverance, 
together  with  a  multitude  of  other  traits  and  operations 
— when  we  contemplate  all  these,  I  say,  we  find  our- 
selves surrounded  with  a  profusion  of  evidences, 
baffling  every  attempt  to  comprehend  them  all,  that 
every  living  thing  is  the  work  of  the  Divine  Hand, 
and  that  no  animated  being  is  too  minute  for  His 
notice,  or  too  humble  for  the  visitation  of  His  care. 
Nor  should  toe,  assuredly,  regard  them  beneath  our 
notice.  Study  and  reflection  upon  these,  the  handi- 
works of  the  Creator,  were  intended  to  feed  the  flame 
of  religion  in  the  soul,  and  to  maintain  within  it  an 
abiding  sense  of  the  Divine  Presence.  Every  insect  is 
a  lesson  full  of  divinity,  and  its  examination  should 
be  to  us  a  devotional  exercise.  And  to  a  mind 
accustomed  to  consecrate  all  its  perceptions  of  beauty 
and  design  to  the  inward  worship  of  God, 

"  How  sweet  to  muse  on  His  skill  display'd, 
Infinite  skill  !  in  all  that  He  has  made  ; 
To  trace  in  nature's  most  minute  design 
The  signature  and  stamp  of  power  Divine ; 


468  ^^^^  FIFTU  DAY. 

Contrivance  exquisite  expressed  witli  ease, 

Where  unassisted  sight  no  beauty  sees  ; 

The  shapely  limb  and  lubricated  joint, 

Within  the  small  dimensions  of  a  point ; 

Muscle  and  nerve  miraculously  spun, 

His  mighty  work,  who  speaks  and  it  is  done  ; 

Th'  Invisible  in  things  scarce  seen  reveal' d, 

To  whom  an  atom  is  an  ample  field." 

— Cowper. 

The  insect  population  of  our  world  exhibits  the  most 
pleasing  evidences  that  the  Creator  designed,  and  has 
provided  means  of  enjoyment  and  happiness  for  all 
His  creatures,  even  the  lowest  and  the  least.  While 
every  tribe  of  these  little  creatures  seem  content  with 
their  lot,  and  charmed  with  their  own  pursuits,  some 
species  live  in  a  style  of  felicity  and  splendor  that 
presents  the  most  striking  displays  of  the  goodness  of 
God.  In  illustration  of  this  point,  I  quote  the  pleasing 
and  lively  description  given  by  Sir  John  Hill  of  his 
discoveries  within  a  fragrant  carnation:  "Distending 
the  lower  part  of  the  flower,  and  adapting  my  micro- 
scope to  take  in  the  whole  at  one  view,  its  base  under 
its  influence  extended  into  a  vast  plain;  the  slender 
stems  of  the  leaves  became  trunks  of  so  many  stately 
cedars ;  the  threads  in  the  middle  seemed  columns  of 
massy  structure,  supporting  at  the  top  several  orna- 
ments ;  and  the  narrow  spaces  between  were  enlarged 
into  walks,  parterres,  and  terraces.  On  the  polished 
bottoms  of  these,  brighter  than  Parian  marble,  walked 
in  pairs,  alone,  or  in  larger  companies,  the  winged 
inhabitants;   these   from   little   dusky   flies,  for   such 


THE    FIFTH    DAY.  469 

only  the  naked  eye  would  have  shown  them,  were 
raised  to  glorious,  glittering  animals,  stained  with 
living  purple,  and  with  a  glossy  gold,  that  would  liave 
nuide  all  the  lahors  of  the  loom  contemptible  in  the 
comparison.  I  could,  at  leisure,  as  they  walked 
together,  admire  their  elegant  limbs,  their  velvet 
shoulders,  and  their  silken  wings;  their  backs  vying 
with  the  empyrean  in  its  blue;  and  their  eyes,  each 
formed  of  a  thousand  others,  outglittering  the  little 
planes  on  a  brilliant ;  above  description,  and  too  great 
almost  for  admiration !  I  could  observe  them  here 
singling  out  their  favorite  females ;  courting  them  with 
the  music  of  their  buzzing  wings  with  little  songs, 
formed  for  their  little  organs ;  leading  them  from  walk 
to  walk  among  the  perfumed  shades,  and  pointing  out 
to  their  taste  the  drop  of  liquid  nectar,  just  bursting 
from  some  vein  within  the  living  trunk — here  were 
the  perfumed  groves,  the  more  than  mystic  shades,  of 
the  poet's  fancy,  realized.  Here  the  happy  lovers 
spent  their  days  in  joyful  dalliance,  or,  in  the  triumph 
of  their  little  hearts,  skipped  after  one  another  from 
stem  to  stem,  among  the  painted  trees,  or  winged 
their  short  flight  to  the  close  shadow  of  some  broader 
leaf,  to  revel  in  the  heights  of  all  felicity."  In  scenes 
such  as  this,  we  behold  not  only  the  workmanship  of 
God,  but  also  the  riches  of  His  beneficence  toward  the 
least  of  the  creatures  which  His  hands  have  made. 

In  the  history  of  insects,  we  meet  with  the  most 
beautiful   illustration    that   all   nature    affords   of  the 


470  THE    FIFTH  DAY. 

great  and  distinguishing  doctrine  of  Christianity — the 
Resurrection  of  the  Dead.  And  to  see  this,  let  us 
follow  one  of  these  little  animals  through  the  marvel- 
lous changes  of  its  existence.  Our  starting  point  is  a 
diminutive  and  almost  invisible  egg ;  from  this  comes 
a  worm,  scarce  an  inch  long  at  maturity,  doomed  to 
draw  out  its  little  length  to  obtain  locomotion  from 
day  to  day.  Prone  on  the  earth,  it  is  passed  and 
repassed  unnoticed.  Its  appointed  days  in  this  condi- 
tion drawing  to  a  close,  it  languishes ;  refuses  to  eat ; 
ceases  to  move ;  becomes  wrapped  in  a  silken  shroud ; 
this  soon  changes  into  a  dusky  crust ;  and  in  this,  as 
in  its  coffin,  it  remains  apparently  dead.  The  time  of 
its  sepulture,  usually  six  or  seven  months,  having 
passed  away,  it  begins  to  acquire  new  life  and  vigor ; 
presently  it  bursts  open  its  confining  cell,  and  comes 
forth ;  no  longer,  however,  an  offensive  crawling  worm, 
but  changed  and  fashioned  into  a  beauteous  butterfly, 
furnished  with  limbs  and  wings,  and  decked  in  down 
of  purple  and  gold.  It  now  takes  rank  with  a  new 
and  superior  race  of  beings ;  it  mounts  the  air,  ranges 
from  flower  to  flower,  rises  in  exhilarating  flights 
towards  the  glorious  orb  of  day,  rejoicing  in  its  new 
and  splendid  existence.  Who  but  must  see  in  all  this 
a  striking  parallel,  and  an  instructive  type  of  the 
blessed  change  that  awaits  the  righteous?  Like  the 
caterpillar  worm,  they  now  are  doomed  for  a  brief 
period  to  tread  the  soil  of  earth,  and  then  to  be  laid  to 
sleep  within  the  tomb.     But  they  remain  there  only 


THE  FIFTH  DAY.  471 

for  an  appointed  time ;  a  day  cometh,  when,  like  the 
worm,  they  shall  come  forth  from  the  wreck  and  ruin 
of  the  grave,  in  forms  lovely  as  that  of  the  Son  of  God, 
and  shall  mount  up  with  wings,  shall  join  the  angelic 
holy  throng,  and  dwell  forever  with  the  Lord.  Let 
the  works  of  God,  then,  confirm  to  us  His  wordj  let 
the  wonderful  display  of  His  power  and  wisdom,  as 
thus  seen  in  the  transformation  of  insects,  serve  to 
strengthen  our  faith,  and  to  animate  our  hope  of  a 
blessed  innnortality. 

This  metamorphosis  of  insects  supplies  an  admonition 
to  the  luickcd,  as  well  as  an  encouragement  to  the 
righteous.  Microscopic  examinations  have  shown  that 
the  body  of  the  caterpillar  contains  the  future  butterfly 
in  embryo.  At  this  period,  it  frequently  happens  that 
a  certain  insect,  called  ichneumon  fly,  will  pierce  and 
deposit  her  eggs  in  the  living  body  of  the  caterpillar, 
which  are  hatched  there  into  grubs  or  larvae,  and  feed 
upon  the  inward  j)arts  of  their  victim.  A  most 
remarkable  circumstance  connected  with  this  jDrocess 
is,  that  a  caterpillar  which  has  been  thus  attacked  goes 
on  feeding,  and  apparently  thriving  quite  as  well, 
during  the  whole  of  its  larva  life,  as  those  that  have 
escaped.  For,  by  a  wonderful  provision  of  instinct, 
the  ichneumon  grubs  within  do  not  injure  any  of  the 
organs  of  the  caterpillar,  but  feed  only  on  the  future 
hutlerfly  enclosed  within  it.  And,  consequently,  it  is 
hardly  possible  to  distinguish  a  caterpillar  which  has 
these  enemies  within  it  from  those  that  are  untouched. 


472  "^^^  FIFTH  DAY. 

But  when  the  period  arrives  for  the  close  of  the  cater- 
pillar life,  the  difference  appears.  While  those  unhurt 
emerge  into  butterflies,  of  the  unfortunate  caterpillar 
that  has  been  preyed  upon,  nothing  remains  but  a 
blackened  form — the  hidden  butterfly  has  been  secretly 
consumed.  Striking  emblem  of  a  multitude  of  our 
race !  A  secret  enemy,  Satan,  has  quietly  taken  his 
abode  within  them  likewise,  there  gradually  but 
steadily  enfeebling  and  destroying  the  indwelling  soul ; 
yet  without  producing  outwardly  any  marked  change, 
or  interfering  materially  with  their  well-being  during 
the  present  stage  of  their  existence,  and  whose  fatal 
work  may  not  be  detected  till  the  time  arrives  for  the 


last  great  change  ! 


I. 


Mt  c^ixth  iaj. 


Beasts,  and  Cattle^  and  Creeping  Things  are  created. 


THE    SIXTH    DAY. 

Genesis  1  :  24-28.  And  God  said,  Let  the  earth  bring  forth  the  living 
creature  after  his  kind,  cattle  and  creeping  thing,  and  beast  of  the  earth 
after  his  kind :  and  it  was  so.  And  God  made  the  beast  of  the  earth 
after  his  kind,  and  cattle  after  their  kind,  and  every  thing  that  creepeth 
upon  the  earth  after  his  kind  :  and  God  saw  that  it  was  good. 

BEASTS.  j 

HE  work  of  this  day  is  but  a  continuation  of  that 
of  the  preceding,  both  having  been  employed  to 
furnish  the  earth  "with  its  living  tenants.  On 
the  fifth  day  the  sea  was  replenished  with  fish, 
and  the  air  with  fowl  and  flying  things;  and  to-day 
beasts  and  cattle,  and  creeping  things  shall  be  brought 
forth  for  the  dry  land ;  and,  finally,  man  the  head  and 
crown  of  all.  The  history  of  this  day,  so  far  as  the 
production  of  the  brute  creation  is  concerned,  needs  but 
little  explanation. 

Let  the  earth  bring  forth.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed 
from  this  particular  mode  of  expression,  that  creative 
power  was  delegated  to  the  earth,  or  that  prolific  virtue 
was  imparted  to  the  soil,  to  produce  its  own  living 
tenants ;  for,  in  speaking  of  the  actual  execution  of  the 
work  in  the  next  verse,  it  is  explicitly  stated  that  it 
was  God  that  created  them,  one  and  all.  Omnipotence 
alone  is  adequate  to  produce  living  beings.     Spontane-^ 

475 


476  THE  SIXTH  DAY. 

ous  generation  of  life  is  a  thing  unknown.  The  dis- 
tinguished Agassiz,  after  having  most  emphatically 
rejected  this  notion,  speaking  merely  as  a  naturaUst, 
affirms  that,  "  it  is  necessary  that  we  recur  to  a  cau^e 
more  exalted,  and  recognize  influences  more  powerful, 
exercising  over  all  nature  an  action  more  direct,  if  we 
would  not  move  eternally  in  a  vicious  circle."  Every 
existing  living  organism  has  come  from  a  parent,  and 
every  original  parent  came  from  the  hand  of  God,  for 
He  alone  can  produce  life. 

God  made  each  living  creature,  it  is  said,  after  Ms 
hind.  By  this  phrase  we  are  to  understand,  not  only 
that  God  contrived  and  created  the  different  species  of 
animals  in  all  their  variety  of  forms,  instincts,  and 
habits ;  but  also,  that  He  so  made  them,  as  to  produce 
each  its  own  kind,  and  its  own  kind  only,  through  all 
its  successive  generations.  It  is  in  virtue  of  this  law, 
a  law  established  throughout  the  animal  kingdom,  that 
the  several  races  of  animals  have  been  kept  distinct 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world  to  the  present  day. 
By  this  ordination  of  the  Creator,  the  transmutation  of 
species,  so  much  talked  of  by  a  certain  school  of 
infidels,  was  rendered  impossible.  "  Each  and  every 
species,"  says  Lyell,  "  was  endowed,  at  the  time  of  its 
creation,  with  the  attributes  and  organs  by  which  it  is 
now  distinguished."  But  for  this,  the  world  long  since 
would  have  been  filled  with  confusion. 

Cattle — under   this   term   are   included  the  various 
species  of  tame  and  domestic  animals,  such  as  sheep. 


THE  SIXJH  DAY.  477 

oxen,  etc. ;  particularly  herbivorous  creatures.  Beasts 
— this  word  is  usually  aiDjilied  in  the  ScrijDtures  to  wild 
animals,  such  as  lions  and  bears;  especially  such  as 
are  carnivorous.  Crecpimj  tliiuij — this  designates  the 
reptile  liiniily,  such  as  serpents,  frogs,  etc.  The  animal 
creations  of  this  day  are  all  included  under  these  three 
terms.  In  each  of  these  classes,  like  those  provinces 
of  creation  already  surveyed,  we  shall  meet  with  in- 
numerable displays  of  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  the 
great  Creator. 

CATTLE,  or  D03IESTIC  ANIMALS. 

And  God  made  the  cattle  after  their  kind. 

Although  man  was  the  last  work  of  creation,  yet  in 
the  plan  and  purpose  of  God  he  was  the  first  and  the 
head,  for  the  world  with  its  furniture  was  contrived 
and  arranged  with  manifest  reference  to  his  wants  and 
convenience.  Several  species  of  the  animals  produced 
on  this  day  seem  to  have  been  expressly  designed,  and 
specifically  endowed  with  their  respective  qualities,  for 
his  particular  and  immediate  benefit — some  to  supply 
him  with  food,  some  to  furnish  him  with  clothing,  and 
some  to  bow  their  patient  necks  to  aid  him  in  his  toils 
and  travels.  Indeed,  with  this  class  of  animals  the 
comfort  and  prosperity  of  the  human  family  are  inti- 
mately connected ;  peaceful  tenants  of  the  earth,  they 
also  add  by  their  presence  fresh  and  cheering  beauty  to 
meadow  and  mountain,  and  impart  life  and  spirit  to 
every  scene  on  which  they  appear. 


478  TEE  SIXTH  DAY. 

Of  the  animals  designed  for  the  immediate  service  of 
man,  Sheep  offer  themselves  first  to  our  notice.  Sheep 
are  associated  with  the  earliest  history  of  the  world, 
and  the  first  family  of  our  race ;  Abel,  we  read,  was  a 
keeper  of  sheep.  These  animals  are  found  in  great 
variety,  and  are  very  valuable  to  man,  as  they  yield 
him  both  food  and  clothing.  Hence  they  have  consti- 
tuted an  important  item  of  individual  and  national 
wealth  in  all  ages.  At  the  present  day  they  are  raised 
and  fed  by  millions  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe. 
And  they  can  be  reared  in  situations  and  on  soils 
where  other  domestic  animals  cannot  be  supported ;  at 
the  same  time  they  are  suscejDtible  of  indefinite 
improvement  both  as  to  form  of  body  and  quality  of 
wool.  No  domestic  creatures,  perhaps,  are  of  greater 
value,  certainly  none  that  could  supply  their  place. 
"Were  this  gift  of  the  Creator  withdrawn,  or  the  race 
suffered  to  diminish  and  become  extinct,  it  would  be  to 
man  an  incalculable  loss. 

Cattle,  or  the  Bovine  family,  also,  were  specifically 
formed  and  constituted  to  minister  to  the  good  of  man ; 
and  to  his  dominion  they  readily  yield.  Accordingly, 
like  sheep,  we  find  that  they  have  been  domesticated 
from  the  earliest  times.  The  patient  ox  has  alwaj^s 
bowed  his  neck  to  the  yoke  of  man,  and  aided  him  in 
the  toil  through  which  he  has  been  doomed  to  raise 
and  eat  his  daily  bread.  And  the  gentle  cow  has 
contributed  more  abundantly  towards  his  sustenance 
and   gratification   than   any  other  living  animal.     In 


THE    SIXTH  DAY.  479 

many  respects,  we  are  more  dependent  on  this  race  of 
creatures  than  on  any  other.  Cattle  are  of  various 
kinds  or  species;  and  these  differ  widely  in  size  and 
character,  from  the  ungainly  Brahmin  cattle,  scarcely 
exceeding  the  size  of  a  large  mastiff,  to  those  of  the 
Eluth  Tartars,  which  often  attain  the  height  of  seven 
or  eight  feet.  Cattle  are  also  so  constituted  as  to  be 
equally  capable  of  enduring  the  intensity  of  heat  and 
the  rigor  of  cold;  they  can  live  and  thrive  on  the 
frozen  fields  of  Iceland,  and  in  the  burning  deserts  of 
Libya;  and  they  readily  accommodate  themselves  in 
disposition  and  habits,  to  a  remarkable  degree,  to  the 
peculiarities  of  whatever  region  they  may  be  placed  in. 
They  are  thus  qualified  to  accompany  man  in  all  his 
widespread  migrations  over  the  face  of  the  globe. 

The  Creator  foresaw  that  man  would  need  another 
and  a  different  assistant — one  to  carry  his  burdens,  to 
work  his  fields,  and  to  bear  him  swiftly  in  his  travels 
— and  in  His  kindness  provided  such  an  assistant  in 
the  Horse.  In  this  animal  are  combined  all  the  quali- 
fications that  could  be  desired  in  such  a  servant — 
excelling  in  strength,  speed,  endurance,  docility  and 
affection.  With  a  mouth  tempered  to  bear  the  bit 
without  suffering,  a  foot  of  firmness  to  bear  additional 
weight  under  rapid  motion,  and  of  a  disposition  that  he 
can  be  tamed  in  a  few  hours,  and  brought  to  submit, 
and  even  to  rejoice  in  his  rider.  Add  to  all  this  that, 
of  all  quadrupeds  the  horse  reaches  the  highest  point 
of  symmetry  and  perfection ;  possessing  a  most  graceful 


480  TI^^   SIXTH  LAY. 

form,  an  intelligent  eye,  expressive  nostrils,  "a  neck 
clothed  with  thunder,"  and  swiftness  that  often  out- 
strips the  wind.  This  striking  combination  of  so  many 
rare  and  noble  qualities,  seem  to  prove  that  the  horse 
was  expressly  made  for  the  service  of  man;  and  in 
how  many  ways  this  valuable  gift  of  the  Creator 
contributes  to  his  necessities,  and  to  his  pleasure,  are 
too  'well  known  to  need  specification. 

The  horse,  strong  and  docile  though  he  be,  is  not 
well  adapted  for  many  parts  of  the  earth;  hence  in 
those  regions  man  finds  another  and  a  most  suitable 
help  in  the  Camel.  This  animal,  indeed,  is  only 
known  as  the  servant  and  follower  of  man;  and  it 
appears  to  have  been  distinctly  formed  by  the  Author 
of  nature  to  contribute  to  his  comfort  in  the  great 
parched  and  sandy  wildernesses  of  Asia  and  Africa, 
where  the  horse  could  neither  travel  nor  subsist.  The 
camel's  feet  seem  expressly  made  for  travelling  over 
the  loose  deep  sands  of  those  regions,  being  divided 
above,  but  connected  beneath,  thus  presenting  broad 
and  pliable  surfaces  that,  like  the  hunter's  snow-shoes, 
bear  him  up  where  the  compact  hoof  of  the  horse 
would  sink  so  far  as  to  impede  his  progress,  and  soon 
exhaust  his  strength.  To  the  camel  has  also  been 
given  great  strength,  and  such  a  patient  and  docile 
disposition  that,  with  little  or  no  instruction,  he  will 
kneel  down  to  receive  his  load  and  his  rider,  and  has  a 
provision,  namely,  pads,  on  his  knees  and  breast  for 
that  purpose.     Add  to  all  this,  streams  and  wells  being 


THE  SIXTH  DAY.  481 

scarce,  and  in  general  found  only  at  distant  intervals 
in  these  hot  deserts,  the  camel  is  also  provided  with  an 
additional  stomach,  or  reservoir  as  it  may  be  regarded, 
in  which  he  can  carry  a  surplus  stock  of  water.  The 
hump  on  his  back  also  is  a  surplus  store  of  fat,  from 
which  the  S3'stem  can  draw  nourishment  when  deprived 
for  a  time  of  his  proper  food.  Thus  constituted,  this 
remarkable  animal  will  post  forward  at  the  rate  of  six 
or  eight  miles  an  hour,  through  those  vast  deserts, 
where  are  neither  birds,  nor  beasts,  nor  vegetation,  nor 
water,  and  where  nothing  is  to  be  seen  but  hills  of 
sand  and  heaps  of  stone,  for  a  whole  week  without 
drink,  without  pasture,  or  any  sustenance  whatever. 
In  Arabia,  and  other  tropical  countries,  the  camel  is 
venerated  as  a  special  gift  of  Heaven,  without  whose 
help  the  inhabitants  could  neither  subsist,  traffic,  nor 
travel.  Its  milk  makes  part  of  their  nourishment, 
they  feed  upon  its  flesh,  they  clothe  themselves  with 
its  hair;  and,  if  they  fear  an  invading  enemy,  their 
camels  serve  them  for  rapid  flight,  and  to  convey  them 
in  a  single  day  to  the  distance  of  a  hundred  miles. 
We  cannot  but  admire,  in  this  remarkable  instance, 
the  beneficent  intentions  of  Providence,  in  the  struc- 
ture, disposition  and  habits  of  an  animal  so  exceedingly 
adapted  to  regions  of  heat,  sterility  and  drought.  If 
we  look  over  the  whole  animal  kingdom,  not  a  beast 
can  be  found  that  would  supply  its  place. 

Another  beast  constituted  to  be  eminently  helpful  to 

man,  in  different  regions  still,  is  the  Elephant.     This 
31 


482  THE  S'xrii  day. 

is  the  largest  aiiiinal  that  treads  our  globe  at  the  pres- 
ent day;  his  average  height  is  from  eight  to  ten  feet; 
and  his  weight  varies  from  5,000  to  9,000  pounds. 
His  strength  is  prodigious ;  his  legs  differ  from  those  of 
all  other  animals,  being  strong  and  massive  pillars, 
formed  with  admirable  mechanical  skill  for  sustaining 
immense  weights.  He  is  capable  of  bearing  on  his 
mighty  back  a  battlemented  tower,  garrisoned  with 
armed  men ;  and  will  thus  advance  with  fearless  step 
to  meet  the  shock  of  battle,  ploughing  his  way  through 
whole  serried  battalions.  His  head  is  large,  and  con- 
tains two  long  and  heavy  tusks ;  his  neck  is  short,  so 
that  it  will  not  admit  of  the  mouth  reaching  the  ground 
to  feed.  But  to  counterbalance  this  defect,  and  also  to 
overcome  the  difficulty  arising  from  the  tusks,  the  ele- 
phant is  provided  with  an  instrument  of  admirable 
structure  in  his  proboscis  or  trunk.  This  he  can  draw 
up,  or  shoot  out,  or  twist  in  any  direction  at  his  pleas- 
ure. Its  essential  office  is  to  supply  the  animal  with 
food,  and  with  it  he  can  crop  the  grass  at  his  feet,  or 
browse  the  twigs  and  leaves  over  his  head  ;  through  it 
also  he  can  draw  up  water,  and  afterwards  discharge  it 
into  the  throat,  or  over  the  body.  This  proboscis  ter- 
minates in  a  flexible  point  like  a  finger,  and  which 
appears  to  be  endowed  with  the  sense  of  touch,  so  that 
with  it  he  can  readily  hold  any  small  object,  or  pick 
up  a  piece  of  money,  or  even  a  pin,  from  the  floor.  He 
is,  moreover,  the  most  sagacious  of  all  animals;  and 
when  tamed,  he  becomes  the  most  gentle,  obedient. 


THE    SIXTU   DAY.  483 

and  afFectionate  of  domestic  animals,  capable  of  being 
trained  to  any  service  necessary  in  those  climates  of 
which  he  is  a  native.  He  is  endowed  with  the  faculty 
of  memory  in  an  astonishing  degree,  and  displays  so 
much  moderation,  gratitude,  and  fidelity  in  his  attend- 
ance on  man,  that  the  ancients,  misled  by  his  demeanor, 
considered  him  to  possess  the  moral  virtues. 

A  multitude  of  well  authenticated  accounts  of  the 
elephant's  sagacity  and  affectionate  disposition  are  on 
record.  "  The  Philosophical  Transactions "  relate  an 
instance  where  this  animal  had  conceived  a  special  at- 
tachment to  an  infant.  "  He  was  never  happy  except 
when  the  infant  was  near  him.  The  nurse,  therefore, 
frequently  took  the  child  in  its  cradle,  and  placed  the 
latter  between  his  feet.  He  at  last  refused  his  food 
when  the  infant  was  absent.  When  it  was  asleep,  he 
watched  it  with  great  solicitude,  and  drove  off  the  flies 
with  his  trunk  as  they  approached.  If  it  awoke  and 
cried,  he  would  rock  the  cradle  till  it  again  fell  asleep." 

So  great,  often,  becomes  the  affection  of  the  elephant 
for  his  conductor  or  driver  that  he  will  defend  him 
with  his  life.  It  is  related  that  one  of  the  soldiers  of 
Pyrrhus,  king  of  Epirus,  when  fighting  in  the  territory 
of  Argos,  fell  wounded  from  his  elephant,  when  the 
noble  animal  immediately  rushed  furiously  among  the 
combatants  till  he  found  his  master,  whom  he  then 
gently  raised  from  the  ground  with  his  trunk,  and, 
placing  him  on  his  tusks,  carried  him  back  to  the  town. 
And  wlien  kinsr  Porus,  in  a  battle  with  Alexander  the 


484  'l^HE    SIXTH   DAY. 

Great,  met  with  a  similar  misfortune,  his  faithful  ele- 
phant is  said  to  have  kept  the  enemy  at  bay  till  he  had 
replaced  the  monarch  on  his  back  with  his  trunk ;  but 
the  poor  animal  lost  his  life  in  this  heroic  defence  of  his 
master. 

In  the  high  and  cold  latitudes  of  the  north,  owing 
both  to  the  severity  of  the  climate  and  to  the  character 
of  the  vegetation,  neither  the  horse,  nor  the  camel,  nor 
the  elephant  could  subsist ;  yet  the  great  Father  of  all 
has  not  left  those  branches  of  the  human  family  that 
have  pushed,  or  been  pushed,  into  those  inhospitable 
regions,  unprovided  with  suitable  helj) — to  them  He 
has  given  the  Reindeer,  an  animal  whose  appetite  and 
powers  of  digestion  enable  it  to  flourish  even  on  the 
coarse  and  scanty  lichens  of  Lapland  and  Spitzbergen, 
and  wliich  supplies  to  them  the  place  of  the  horse,  the 
cow,  and  the  sheep.  It  is  to  them  invaluable  and  in- 
dispensable. 

"The  reindeer  form  their  riches  :  these  their  tents, 
Their  robes,  tlieir  beds,  and  all  their  homely  wealth, 
Supply — their  wholesome  fare  and  cheerful  cups  : 
Obsequious  to  their  call,  the  docile  tribe 
Yield  to  the  sled  their  necks,  and  whirl  them  swift 
O'er  hill  and  dale." 

It  was  foreseen  also  that  man  in  a  thousand  circum- 
stances would  need  another  helper  different  from  all 
those  now  described — an  active,  sagacious,  faithful 
friend,  to  guard  his  home,  to  attend  him  in  the  chase, 
and  to  lighten  the  labors  of  tending  his  flocks  and  his 
herds — and  this  friendly  assistant  is  supplied  in  the 


THE    SIXTH  DAY.  485 

trusty  Dog.  Every  thing  pertaining  to  this  animal  in- 
dicates that  it  was  made  for  the  service  of  man — his 
intelligence,  his  docility,  his  faithfulness,  and  his  strong 
attachment  to  his  master,  preferring  his  society  to  that 
of  his  own  species;  and,  unlike  most  other  animals,  re- 
memhering  only  his  caresses,  is  ready  in  a  few  moments 
to  kiss  the  hand  that  smote  him.  The  dog  is  a  most 
valuable  servant  to  man.  How  important  the  service 
he  renders  to  the  Esquimaux,  to  the  Alpine  traveller, 
to  the  shepherd,  to  the  hunter,  and  to  the  herdsman ! 

The  dog  kind  is  a  numerous  fiimily;  more  than 
twenty  varieties  are  domesticated.  Of  all  these  the 
St.  Bernard  and  the  Scotch  shepherd  dog  are  the  most 
remarkable  for  their  intelligence  and  fidelity.  The 
former,  by  their  keen  scent  and  wonderful  sagacity, 
have  discovered,  and  saved  from  death,  many  unfortu- 
nate travellers  bewildered  by  snow-storms,  or  over- 
whelmed by  avalanches,  on  the  great  Alps.  Though 
the  perishing  man  lie  ten  or  twenty  feet  below  the 
snow,  such  is  the  extreme  delicacy  of  their  sense  of 
smell  that  they  will  discover  the  spot ;  and  then  they 
will  immediately  begin  to  scratch  away  the  snow,  at 
the  same  time  setting  up  a  continued  hoarse  and  solemn 
bark,  to  attract  notice  and  assistance  in  the  work  of 
rescue.  One  of  these  noble  creatures  is  said  to  have 
in  this  manner  saved  the  lives  of  twenty-two  persons, 
and  perished  at  last  himself  in  an  attempt  to  save 
another. 

The  shepherd  dog  displays  equal  sagacity  and  affec- 


486  THE  SIXTH  DAY. 

tion.  When  trained,  he  perfectly  understands  the 
commands  of  his  master,  and  with  admirable  intelli- 
gence united  to  the  most  unwearied  industry  and  per- 
severance, will  execute  them.  This  faithful  little 
creature  has  often  been  taught  to  bring  along  a  flock  of 
sheep  after  his  master  wherever  he  chose  to  go ;  and 
even  to  drive  them  unaided  and  alone  from  one  place 
to  another.  One  such  dog  is  of  more  help  to  the 
mountain  shepherd  than  twenty  men  could  possi- 
bly be. 

The  affection  of  the  dog  for  his  master  is  very  strong 
and  remarkable,  instances  of  which  are  recorded  that 
cannot  be  read  without  emotion.  Some  have  been 
known  to  take  their  station  on  the  grave  of  their  human 
friend,  refusing  food  with  the  most  steady  resolution, 
till  they  pined  to  death.  A  dog  of  the  Marquis  Lan- 
gally,  during  his  absence,  became  dejected  and  cheerless; 
and,  on  his  sudden  return,  expired  for  joy.  The  lap- 
dog  of  Mary,  Queen  of  Scots,  followed  her  to  the 
scaffold,  and  would  not  leave  the  body  till  forced  away, 
and,  two  days  afterward,  died  of  a  broken  heart. 

In  addition  to  the  several  evidences  already  noticed, 
that  the  foregoing  animals  were  expressly  created  for 
the  service  of  man,  we  may  state  this  further  ^roof, 
that  to  each  of  them  has  been  given  the  form  and  dis- 
position and  degree  of  s.agacity  that  most  happily  fit  it 
for  its  intended  place  and  purpose.  To  illustrate  this — 
of  what  value  would  the  dog  be,  with  all  his  other 
commendable  qualities,  if  only  his  body  had  been  like 


THE   SIXTH   DAY.  487 

that  of  the  hog,  or  if  his  disposition  had  been  that  of 
the  sheep  ?  So  of  the  horse ;  of  what  service  had  this 
noble  animal  been  to  man,  notwithstanding  the  strength 
of  his  limbs,  the  symmetry  of  his  form,  and  all  his  high 
sagacity,  if  only  his  temper  had  been  that  of  the  tiger ; 
or,  with  all  his  present  intelligence,  gentleness  and  do- 
cility, if  only  his  body  had  been  like  that  of  a  leopard  ? 
Again  :  had  sheep,  though  of  finest  fleece,  been  endowed 
with  the  ferocity  of  the  hyena,  who  would  want  to  sur- 
round himself  with  a  flock  of  them;  or,  if  covered  with 
bristles  instead  of  wool,  where  had  been  their  peculiar 
value?  But,  instead  of  anything  of  this  kind,  we  see 
given  to  every  domestic  animal  those  qualifications  that 
eminently  fit  it  to  render  to  man  its  specific  service. 
And  what  still  adds  greatly  to  the  proof  of  creative  de- 
sign in  this  matter  is,  that  domestic  animals  have  been 
so  constituted  as  to  be  susceptible  of  improvement  under 
the  judicious  care  and  management  of  man.  Accord- 
ingly, the  sheep  has  been  made  to  yield  a  finer  fleece, 
the  cow  to  give  a  more  abundant  supply  of  milk,  the 
horse  to  become  more  fleet  and  powerful,  and  the  dog 
more  sagacious,  under  his  protection  and  skill.  And 
this  last  named  quality  seems  to  have  been  intended  by 
the  Creator  in  reward  for  kind  care  and  judicious  man- 
agement of  these  useful  animals. 

REFLECTIONS. 

In  domestic   animals  we  recognize   a  very  marked 
token  of  the  Paternal  kindness  of  the  Creator.     Their 


488  ^^^^   SIXTH  DAY. 

value  and  imiDortance  to  man  cannot  well  be  estimated. 
How  much  do  they  add  to  his  strength  in  toil,  to  his 
ease  and  speed  in  travelling,  and  to  his  sustenance  and 
gratification  in  food.  Had  he  not  been  provided  with 
the  sheep  and  the  cow,  how  differently  had  both  his 
table  and  his  wardrobe  been  furnished.  And  had  he 
not  received  for  his  helpers  the  ox,  the  dog,  and  the 
horse,  he  had  never  attained  his  present  position  in  the 
world ;  and  were  he  to  be  deprived  of  them,  he  could 
not  maintain  that  position  for  half  a  generation.  How 
manifest,  then,  the  Divine  goodness  in  the  creation 
and  gift  of  our  domestic  attendants. 

Constituted  for  willing  obedience,  and  bestowed  in 
great  kindness  by  the  Creator,  as  these  animals  have 
been,  yet  how  grossly  are  they  often  abused.  While 
so  ready  to  submit  and  to  labor  for  our  good,  it  is  pain- 
ful to  think  of  the  cruel  treatment  they  receive  at  the 
hands  of  many,  being  unfeelingly  overworked — brutally 
beaten — half  fed — urged  by  spur  and  whip  to  panting 
exhaustion — or  set  with  savage  delight  to  fight  and 
tear  one  another.  What  vile  abuse  !  What  shocking 
cruelty  !  No  language  can  sufficiently  reprobate  such 
inhumanity.  Would  that  those  guilty  of  it  would  stop 
and  reflect  that  these  submissive  animals  are  not  sense- 
less machines,  not  so  many  automata  formed  of  wood 
and  brass,  but  creatures  endowed  with  sense  and  feel- 
ing like  their  own.  Their  sufferings  are  real  like  their 
own.  They  give  forth  every  indication  of  this.  They 
utter  distinct  cries  of  pain.     They  manifest  terror,  and 


THE  SIXTH  DAY.  489 

often  tremble,  when  menaced  with  a  blow.  They  ex- 
hibit the  same  distortions  of  agony  after  the  infliction 
of  it.  The  bruise,  the  gash,  the  fracture,  affect  them 
similarly  to  ourselves.  They  sicken,  suffer,  grow 
feeble,  and  die,  as  we  do.  And  their  agonies  are  with- 
out the  alleviation  of  fellow-sympathy  while  they 
writhe  under  them,  or  that  of  hope  when  they  shall 
have  been  passed.  They  have  to  sufler  in  silence  and 
alone.  They  cannot  complain,  they  cannot  tell  the 
depth  or  intensity  of  their  sufferings.  And  this  very 
shroud  of  silence,  how  it  aggravates  tenfold  the  heart- 
less cruelty  that  inflicts  those  sufferings  on  a  dumb 
animal.  As  not  a  sparrow,  so  assuredly  not  one  of 
these,  f\illeth  without  our  Father.  His  tender  mercy 
is  over  all  His  works.  Their  groans  enter  into  His  ear, 
nor  will  He  forget  them,  when  He  cometh  to  render 
unto  all  according  as  their  works  have  been. 

As  we  are  to  receive  these  domestic  animals  with 
gratitude,  and  to  treat  them  with  kindness,  so  also  we 
are  to  regard  them  with  reflection,  for  they  are  appointed 
to  sjmibolize  to  us  many  important  truths.  If  we  view 
them  simply  as  tools  or  useful  helps,  or  even  rest  satis- 
fied with  admiring  their  pleasing  natural  excellences, 
we  shall  overlook  and  miss  a  crowning  benefit  to  be 
derived  from  them.  As  God's  beneficent  consideration 
for  man's  wants  is  nowhere  more  conspicuously  seen 
than  in  this  class  of  animals,  so  throush  no  other  class 
of  emblems  are  the  instructions  of  his  gospel  and  the 
purposes  of  his  grace  more  clearly  set  forth. 


490  THE   SIXTH  DAY. 

Even  the  Dog  proffers  to  us  a  serious  and  profitable 
lesson.  "  Man,"  said  the  poet  Burns,  "  is  the  god  of 
the  dog.  He  knows  no  other,  he  can  understand  no 
other.  And  see  how  he  worships  him.  With  what 
reverence  he  crouches  at  his  feet,  with  what  love  he 
fawns  upon  him,  with  what  dependence  he  looks  up  to 
him,  and  with  what  cheerful  alacrity  he  obeys  him ! 
His  whole  soul  is  wrapped  up  in  his  god;  all  the 
powers  and  faculties  of  his  nature  are  devoted  to  his 
service,  and  these  powers  and  faculties  are  ennobled  by 
the  intercourse.  Divines  tell  us  that  it  ought  to  be 
just  so  with  the  Christian ;  but  does  not  the  dog  often 
put  the  Christian  to  shame  ?  " 

The  Ox,  also,  is  to  us  a  living  parable.  As  he 
slowly  wends  his  way  from  the  field  of  toil,  at  noon  or 
evening,  toward  home,  how  affecting  the  remonstrance 
his  moving  figure  is  made  to  utter — "  The  ox  knowetli 
his  owner,  and  the  ass  his  master's  crib;  but  Israel 
doth  not  know,  my  people  do  not  consider."  And 
when  he  bows  his  submissive  neck  to  receive  the  yoke 
and  go  forth  to  his  labor  again,  how  gracious  the  invita- 
tion symbolized  by  the  willing  act — "  Take  my  yoke 
upon  you,  and  learn  of  me ;  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly 
in  heart,  and  ye  shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls.  For 
my  yoke  is  easy,  and  my  burden  is  light." 

The  Sheep,  likewise,  is  a  sacred  emblem.  Were 
this  animal  to  repeat  all  the  various  truths  committed 
by  the  Spirit  to  its  symbolism,  it  would  preach  to  us  a 
new  lesson  with  every  change  of  situation  in  which  we 


THE  SIXTH   DAY.  491 

beheld  it — following  after  the  shepherd — enclosed  in 
the  fold — scattered  on  the  mountain — lying  down  in 
green  pastures — straying  among  wolves — borne  on  the 
shepherd's  shoulder — bound  before  the  shearer — sepa- 
rating from  the  goats — in  these  various  circumstances, 
sheep  read  to  us  the  most  solemn  and  important  truths 
of  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God. 

And  the  Lamb — this  is  the  central  symbol  of  the 
Christian  system.  This  innocent  and  gentle  creature 
is  pre-eminently  the  type  of  IIiM  who  was  holy, 
harmless,  and  undefiled,  the  Lamb  of  God  that  was 
slain  to  take  away  the  sin  of  the  world,  in  whose  blood 
the  redeemed  of  heaven  have  washed  their  robes  and 
made  them  white. 

The  Horse  also  is  a  chosen  figure  of  inspiration.  In 
the  book  of  Revelation — that  wonderful  portion  of  the 
sacred  volume — the  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords, 
is  represented  as  riding  on  a  white  Jiorse ;  and  the 
armies  of  heaven  as  following  Him  upon  white  horses, 
clothed  in  fine  linen,  white  and  clean,  to  witness  His 
victory  over  all  the  enemies  of  truth  and  righteousness, 
and  to  participate  in  the  final  triumphs  of  His  grace. 
Such  is  the  deeply  interesting  event,  such  the  glorious 
consummation,  of  which  the  horse  stands  forever  a 
symbol  and  a  remembrancer  before  his  rider. 

How  wise  the  arrangement  that  has  thus  embodied 
Divine  Truth  in  living  forms,  that  ever  move  before 
our  view.  How  kind  and  gracious  in  God  our  Father 
thus  to  constitute  "sheep  and  oxen"  to  be  unto  us  as 


492  THE    SIXTH   DAY. 

priests  and  prophets,  holding  forth  the  word  of  life, 
and,  though  they  see  not  the  vision  themselves,  sym- 
bolizing the  glorious  things  of  Christ  and  of  heaven,  to 
inspire  us  with  the  comfort  of  the  most  blessed  hope. 

BEASTS,  or  WILD  ANUIALS 

And  God  made  the  beast  of  the  earth  after  his  kind. 

The  term  beast  in  the  history  of  this  day,  as  has 
already  been  stated,  is  employed  to  designate  wild 
animals,  in  contradistinction  from  the  tame,  included 
under  the  word  cattle.  Although  these  are  not  designed 
so  immediately,  or  so  eminently  for  the  service  of  man 
as  domestic  animals,  yet  many,  if  not  most  of  them, 
contribute  in  one  way  or  another  to  his  welfare — some 
as  game  for  his  sustenance,  some  by  their  hides  and  fur 
for  his  clothing,  and  all  as  subjects  of  interesting  and 
profitable  study.  Following  the  usual  order  and 
classification,  we  notice  first,  those  termed 

QuADRUMANA,  or  four-handed  beasts.  This  order 
includes  the  orang-outang,  chimpanzee,  ape,  baboon 
and  monkey.  These  animals  are  naturally  inhabitants 
of  forests ;  it  is  there  they  are  at  home,  and  find  the 
food  most  suitable  to  their  nature.  Their  inner  toe,  on 
both  fore  and  hind  feet,  assumes  the  form  and  office  of 
a  thumb,  opposed  to  the  other  toes  and  fingers ;  so  that 
they  can  use  all  four  for  grasping  the  branches,  and 
springing  from  one  to  another,  and  are  thus  enabled  to 
walk  through  the  trees,  or  run  up  and  down  their 


THE    SIXTH  DAY.  493 

spreading  tops,  with  as  much  case  and  celerity  as  we 
can  our  staircases. 

The  Oraug-ouiang,  an  inliabitant  of  Borneo  and 
Sumatra,  is  the  most  perfect  of  this  order,  and  the  one 
of  all  animals  that  most  resembles  man.  In  stature 
this  animal,  it  is  said,  sometimes  reaches  nearly  six 
feet;  it  is  broad-chested,  muscular,  and  very  i)owerful. 
Its  visage  is  very  like  the  human  face,  only  the  eyes 
are  more  deeply  sunk,  and  the  whole  bod}^  is  covered 
lightly  with  hair.  Both  their  instinctive  and  imitative 
capacities  are  quite  remarkable.  Buffon,  the  naturalist, 
speaks  of  a  tamed  one  that  would  sit  at  table,  pour  out 
his  tea,  put  sugar  and  milk  into  it,  wait  for  it  to  cool, 
and  then  drink  it,  as  men  did.  All  he  did  in  this  way, 
however,  was  simply  imitative. 

The  Glilmpanzee,  found  in  Congo  and  Guinea,  also, 
it  is  stated,  sometimes  approaches  the  human  stature. 
These  live  principally  on  the  ground,  and,  as  their 
name  imports,  spend  much  of  their  time  in  caves  or 
under  rocks.  AVhen  molested,  they  will  unitedly 
defend  themselves  with  such  fury  and  courage  that 
even  the  elephant  and  the  lion  are  obliged  to  retreat 
before  them.  The  Monhey  is  found  of  various  sizes, 
some  are  not  larger  than  a  small  cat,  some  are  vicious 
and  savage,  some  are  ill-formed  and  disgusting.  What 
are  called  Ring-tailed  monkeys  live  and  move  in  great 
troops  or  armies.  Many  of  the  monkey  family  possess 
a  high  degree  of  instinctive  sagacity. 

While  quadrumana  present  the  nearest  approxima- 


494  THE   SIXTH  DAY. 

tion  to  the  human  form  and  stature,  yet  upon 
examination  great  and  essential  differences  are  found 
in  their  organization  from  that  of  man.  "Any  anato- 
mist," says  Prof  Jeffries  Wyman,  "  who  will  take  the 
trouhle  to  compare  the  skeleton  even  of  the  negro  with 
that  of  the  orang,  cannot  fail  to  be  struck  at  sight 
with  the  wide  gap  which  separates  them."  The 
volume  of  brain  in  man  compared  with  that  in  the 
orang-outang  is  as  five  to  07ie ;  and  the  human  brain 
contains  parts  which  do  not  exist  in  the  brain  of  any 
other  animal  species.  Soemmering  has  enumerated  as 
many  as  fifteen  important  anatomical  difierences  be- 
tween the  brain  of  man  and  that  of  the  orang. 
These  animals,  by  great  care  and  protracted  training, 
can  be  taught  to  do  some  things  mechanically;  but 
when  we  try  our  hand  upon  their  mental  powers  for 
improvement,  we  find  at  once  that  we  have  got  no 
foundation  on  which  to  build.  The  entire  field  of 
what  we  call  knowledge  lies  absolutely  beyond  their 
reach.  "We  may  subject  them  to  the  best  discipline  of 
which  they  are  capable  during  their  whole  lives,  and 
yet  we  cannot  get  them  possessed  of  a  single  idea, 
either  literary  or  scientific.  And  as  for  conscience, 
they  have  none ;  and  by  no  process  can  we  awaken  or 
create  moral  sensibilities  in  their  nature ;  indeed,  the 
idea  of  exhibiting  moral  truth  to  them  is  simply 
ridiculous.  Conscience,  or  the  moral  sense,  is  found  in 
man  alone,  and  constitutes  his  highest  distinction. 
CiiEiROPTERANS,  or  liaud-wiuged  animals.     This  order 


THE   SIXTH  DAY.  495 

embraces  bats,  vampires,  flying-cats,  etc.  The  Bed  is 
a  singular  animal,  and  seems  to  form  a  connecting  link 
between  birds  and  quadrupeds.  One  of  its  most  extra- 
ordinary fiiculties  is  that  of  a  knowledge  of  the  presence, 
and  apparently  of  the  approach  of  objects,  by  some 
other  sense  or  medium  than  that  of  vision.  Blind  bats 
fly  among  the  trees  as  well  as  those  that  have  eyes. 
Spallanzani  found  that  those  whose  eyes  he  had  put 
out  avoided  most  expertly  threads  of  fine  silk,  which 
he  had  so  stretched  as  just  to  leave  room  for  them  to 
pass  between.  Whilst  the  bat  of  our  own  country  is 
quite  a  diminutive  creature,  that  of  Madagascar  is  a 
monster,  whose  outstretched  wings  measure  full  four 
feet;  and  these  assemble  sometimes  in  such  numbers 
as  darken  the  air,  and  they  devour  every  thing  in 
their  way. 

Predaceans,  or  preying  animals.  This  order  in- 
cludes the  lion,  bear,  tiger,  leopard,  panther,  hyena, 
jackal,  wolf,  fox,  otter,  marten,  sable,  ermine,  etc. 

The  Lion  has  long  been  stjded  "  the  king  of  beasts," 
and  truly  he  is  a  royal  animal.  His  form  and  mien 
are  striking,  his  look  confident  and  bold,  his  gait  proud, 
and  his  roar  terrible.  It  is  sufficient  but  to  see  him  in 
order  to  be  assured  of  his  superior  strength.  His  large 
head  surrounded  with  a  dreadful  mane,  all  those 
muscles  that  appear  under  the  skin  swelling  with  the 
slightest  exertion,  and  the  great  breadth  of  his  paws, 
with  the  thickness  of  his  limbs,  plainly  evince  that  no 
other  animal  in  the  forest  is  capable  ot  opposing  him. 


496  TS^  SIXTH  DAY. 

His  face  is  broad,  and  is  surrounded  with  long  hair, 
-which  gives  it  a  very  majestic  air.  His  huge  eye- 
brows ;  his  round  and  fiery  eyeballs,  which,  upon  the 
least  irritation,  seem  to  glow  with  jDCculiar  lustre, 
together  with  the  formidable  appearance  of  his  teeth, 
exhibit  a  picture  of  terrific  animal  grandeur  which  it  is 
impossible  to  describe.  The  length  of  a  large  lion  is 
between  eight  and  nine  feet,  and  his  height  about  four 
and  a  half  feet.  His  strength  is  prodigious ;  with  one 
stroke  of  his  paw  he  can  break  the  back  or  crush  the 
skull  of  a  horse.  He  meets  wdth  intrepidity  his  most 
formidable  enemies ;  and  will  boldly  face  man  himself, 
and  brave  the  force  of  all  his  arms.  Wounds  serve 
rather  to  provoke  his  rage  than  to  repress  his  ardor. 
Nor  is  he  daunted  by  the  opposition  of  numbers;  a 
single  lion  of  the  desert  often  attacks  a  whole  caravan, 
and  after  an  obstinate  combat,  when  he  finds  himself 
overpowered,  instead  of  flying,  he  continues  to  fight, 
retreating  and  facing  the  enemy  till  he  dies.  These 
powerful  and  terrible  beasts  are  the  terror  of  man  in 
many  regions ;  but  happilj^,  says  Bufibn,  the  sj)ecies  is 
not  numerous,  and  it  seems  to  be  diminishing  daily. 
This  royal  animal,  though  fierce  and  formidable  to  all 
others,  is  gentle  and  ever  faithful  to  his  chosen  female 
companion.  She  lies  in  the  same  thicket  or  den,  and 
partakes  of  the  same  prey  with  himself  Towards  her 
and  her  cubs  he  exhibits  parental  and  conjugal  affec- 
tion, no  less  strong  or  striking  than  those  manifested 
by  the  sweet  singers  of  the  grove.     In   this  animal, 


TUE   SIXTH  DAY.  497 

indeed,  all  the  passions,  even  those  of  the  most  gentle 
kind,  appear  almost  in  excess,  yet  wonderfully  modified 
and  adapted  to  his  appointed  jjlace  and  circumstances. 

The  Tiger  is  somewhat  smaller  than  the  lion,  but  is 
decidedly  more  ferocious.  The  strength  of  the  Roj^al 
Tiger  is  such,  that  he  has  been  known  to  carry  away  a 
man  in  his  mouth  as  a  dog  would  a  bone,  and  even  to 
drag  a  buffalo  whole  to  his  den.  Though  fierce  and 
cruel  in  the  extreme,  yet  of  all  quadrupeds  it  has  the 
most  beautiful  skin,  both  for  gloss  and  colors.  The 
frightful  teeth  and  savage  nature  of  this  and  of  other 
wild  beasts,  at  first  view,  shock  all  our  best  sensibilities, 
as  they  seem  to  reflect  on  the  benevolence  of  the  Crea- 
tor. But  there  is  wisdom,  and  there  is  mercy  even  in 
this  savageness  and  these  powerful  weapons  of  destruc- 
tion planted  in  their  jaws, — it  is  to  shorten  the  dying 
pangs  of  their  victims,  which  otherwise  might  have 
been  killed  by  protracted  torture. 

The  Leopard,  in  form,  is  like  the  tiger,  only  much 
smaller ;  and  like  that  animal  is  fierce  and  cruel,  attack- 
ing almost  every  thing  he  meets.  Nothing,  however, 
can  be  more  beautiful  than  the  active  and  elegant  man- 
ner in  which  leopards  will  sometimes  sport  among  the 
branches  of  the  trees. 

The  Bear  is  another  of  the  formidable  beasts  belons:- 
ing  to  this  class.  Of  this  animal  there  are  several 
varieties,  inhabiting  different  parts  of  the  earth,  from 
the  Indian  islands  to  the  Arctic  regions.  The  Kamt- 
schatka  bear  is  to  the  inhabitants  almost  what  the  rein- 

32 


498  THE    SIXTH  DA  Y. 

deer  is  to  the  Laplanders; — of  the  skin  they  make 
clothes,  bed-coverings,  gloves,  harness,  and  ice-shoes ; 
the  fat  supplies  them  with  oil  for  their  winter  lamps ; 
their  flesh  is  to  them  for  venison ;  and  the  skin  of  the 
intestines  for  their  window-glass.  The  polar  bear,  as 
its  name  implies,  inhabits  the  highest  and  coldest  lati- 
tudes. This  is  a  very  formidable  creature,  and  some- 
times grows  to  the  enormous  length  of  ten  or  eleven 
feet.  In  the  summer  these  live  on  ice  islands,  and  are 
capable  of  swimming  several  leagues  from  one  to  an- 
other. They  lodge  in  dens  formed  in  large  masses  of 
ice.  But,  however  desolate  the  habitation  assigned 
them,  or  savage  the  aspect  they  present,  even  these 
animals  exhibit  traits  of  fidelity  and  affection  which 
we  cannot  but  admire.  When  the  Carcasse  Frigate 
was  locked  up  in  the  northern  ice,  a  she-bear,  and  her 
two  cubs,  nearly  as  large  as  herself,  came  toward  it  one 
day.  The  crew  threw  to  them  great  lumps  of  sear 
horse  blubber.  The  old  bear  fetched  these  away  singly, 
and  divided  them  between  the  young  ones,  reserving 
but  a  small  piece  for  herself.  The  sailors  shot  the 
cubs  as  she  was  conveying  the  last  portion,  and 
wounded  her.  She  could  just  crawl  with  it  to  them, 
tore  it  in  pieces,  and  laid  it  before  them.  When  she 
saw  that  they  did  not  eat,  she  laid  her  paws  first  on 
one,  then  on  the  other,  and  tried  to  raise  them  up, 
moaning  pitifully  all  the  time.  She  then  moved  from 
them,  looked  back,  and  moaned  as  if  for  them  to  follow 
her.     Finding  they  did  not,  she  returned,  smelt  them. 


THE  SIXTH  DAY.  499 

and  licked  tlicir  wounds ;  again  she  left  them,  and 
again  returned ;  and  with  signs  of  inexpressible  fond- 
ness went  round  them,  pawing  and  moaning.  At  last 
she  raised  her  head  toward  the  ship,  and  uttered  a 
growl  of  despair,  when  a  volley  of  musket  balls  killed 
her.  Such  is  the  strong  and  tender  affection  implanted 
by  the  Divine  Hand,  even  in  a  lone  and  savage  beast, 
and  from  which  its  scarce  less  savage  destroyers  might 
well  have  learned  a  profitable  lesson. 

The  Marten,  Sable,  Ermine,  etc.,  are  remarkalDle, 
and  are  chiefly  valued,  for  their  fine  and  much  es- 
teemed fur ;  that  of  the  ennine  being  used  by  royalty 
to  adorn  its  richest  robes. 

RoDENTES,  or  nibblers  and  gnawers.  This  order  em- 
braces the  hare,  rabbit,  beaver,  porcupine,  rat,  mouse, 
marmot,  guinea-pig,  squirrel,  etc.  Most  of  these  are 
so  familiar  as  to  need  no  description.  The  Rabbit  is 
an  animal  found  in  nearly  every  part  of  the  world,  and 
is  specially  remarkable  for  its  extraordinary  fecundity ; 
a  single  pair,  it  has  been  calculated,  would,  if  they  had 
no  enemies,  in  four  years,  produce  a  progeny  of  mo7'e 
than  a  million. 

The  Hare  among  us  is  generally  noticed  only  for  its 
extreme  timidity  and  watchfulness ;  but  it  has  a  sister, 
or  a  little  creature  nearly  related  to  it,  called  Piha, 
which  is  gifted  by  the  Creator  with  a  remarkable  in- 
stinct. Of  this  interesting  little  animal,  Kirby,  in  his 
Bridgewater  Treatise,  gives  the  following  particulars. 
They  inhabit  the  most  northern  districts  of  the  Asiatic 


500  THE  SIXTH  DAY. 

continent,  and  always  select  for  their  abode  the  rudest 
and  most  retired  spots,  and  often  the  centre  of  the  most 
gloomy  and  humid  forest,  where  the  herbage  is  fresh 
and  abundant.  Here  they  employ  themselves  during 
summer  in  maldng  hay  for  a  winter  store.  This  work 
is  usually  begun  about  the  middle  of  August.  With 
ready  and  unfailing  skill  they  select  their  favorite 
herbs  and  grasses,  and  bringing  them  near  their  habita- 
tion, they  spread  them  out  to  dry  like  hay.  In  Sep- 
tember, they  form  stacks  of  the  fodder  they  have  thus 
collected,  under  the  rocks,  or  in  other  places,  sheltered 
from  the  rain  and  snow.  When  many  of  them  have 
labored  together,  their  stacks  are  sometimes  as  high  as 
a  man,  and  seven  or  eight  feet  in  diameter.  All  the 
grasses  and  herbs  are  cut  when  most  vigorous,  and 
dried  so  slowly  as  to  form  a  green  and  succulent  fodder. 
A  subterranean  gallery  leads  from  the  burrow  below 
the  mass  of  hay,  so  that  neither  frost  nor  snow  can 
intercept  their  communication  with  it  through  the 
winter.  Who  but  must  acknowledge  the  guidance  of 
an  unseen  Hand  in  all  this  ?  Of  these  stacks  collected 
and  laid  up  with  so  much  patient  toil,  the  poor  little 
creatures  are  often  cruelly  robbed  by  the  wretched  in- 
habitants, to  feed  their  horses  and  cattle.  Instead  of 
imitating  the  foresight  and  industry  of  the  provident 
Pika,  they  heartlessly  rob  it  of  its  means  of  support, 
and  so  devote  the  animals  that  set  them  so  good  an 
example  to  famine  and  to  death. 

The  Hamster  Rat,  the  Field  Mouse,  and  other  ani- 


Tn::  sixth  da  y.  501 

mills  of  this  class,  make  a  similar  provision  for  winter, 
conveying  in  the  season  when  food  is  to  be  found  a 
suitable  and  sufficient  quantity  to  their  subterranean 
dwellings — a  procedure  in  which  man  may  discern  a 
serious  admonition  to  make  due  preparation  for  the 
evening  of  life  and  the  winter  of  the  grave. 

But  of  this  order,  and  perhaps  of  all  quadrupeds,  the 
Beaver  is  the  most  remarkable  for  its  instinctive  doings. 
In  length,  the  beaver  is  about  three  feet,  and  the  tail, 
which  is  flat  and  of  an  oval  shape,  and  covered  with 
scales,  about  a  foot  more.  It  has  live  toes  on  all  its 
feet,  which  in  the  hind  pair  are  connected  by  a  mem- 
brane, and  thus  aid  in  swimming ;  whilst  those  on  the 
fore  legs  are  separate,  and  serve  as  hands  to  convey 
food  to  its  mouth,  to  carry  stones,  to  mix  mortar,  and 
build  its  structures.  But  the  incisor  teeth  of  these  ani- 
mals are  their  principal  instruments;  with  these  they 
can  cut  down  trees  eight  or  ten  inches  in  diameter; 
and  when  they  undertake  this  operation,  they  gnaw  it 
all  round,  cutting  it  sagaciously  on  one  side  higher  than 
the  other,  and  thus  cause  it  to  fall  in  the  direction  they 
wish.  The  beavers  live  in  communities  of  some  two 
or  three  hundred,  and  build  their  houses  near  together, 
each  of  which  is  occupied  by  a  family  of  from  two  to  a 
dozen  members.  They  are  creatures  of  strong  and  ten- 
der affection,  and  the  utmost  order  and  harmony  pre- 
vail in  the  famil}^  and  in  the  community  at  large. 

The  location  selected  by  the  beavers  for  their  city  is 
generally  a  pond  encompassed  by  banks  of  soil,  and  of 


502  THE  SIXTH  DAY. 

a  certain  elevation.  But  if  they  cannot  find  such  a 
site,  they  choose  a  flat  piece  of  ground,  with  a  stream 
running  through  it ;  across  this  stream,  in  order  to  cre- 
ate a  pond,  they  will  construct  a  dam,  which  is  at  once 
a  marvel  of  skill  and  industry.  It  is  composed  of 
stakes  five  or  six  feet  high,  firmly  and  closely  implanted 
in  the  ground ;  these  are  intertwined  with  twigs  and 
roots,  and  all  the  interstices  compactly  filled  up  with 
stones  and  mud ;  and  thus  with  prodigious  labor  they 
build  a  substantial  and  impervious  dyke,  eight  or  ten 
feet  thick  at  the  bottom,  and  sometimes  a  hundred  feet 
long.  Where  the  current  is  weak,  the  dam  is  almost 
straight ;  but  where  the  flow  is  more  rapid  and  power- 
ful, it  is  made  to  curve  with  the  convex  side  opposed 
to  the  stream,  thus  presenting  to  it  the  strength  and 
firmness  of  an  arch.  Their  houses  stand  along  the 
edge  of  the  water,  and  are  built  of  the  same  materials, 
and  with  equal  skill.  In  their  erection  they  begin  to 
excavate  some  three  or  four  feet  under  water,  at  the 
base  of  the  bank,  enlarging  gradually  upwards,  so  as  to 
form  a  declivity  till  they  reach  the  surface ;  and  of  the 
earth  which  comes  out  of  this  cavity  they  form  a  hil- 
lock, mixing  with  it  small  pieces  of  wood,  together  with 
stones.  They  give  this  hillock  the  form  of  a  dome, 
from  four  to  seven  feet  high,  and  from  eight  to  ten  wide. 
As  they  proceed  in  heightening,  they  hollow  it  out 
below,  so  as  to  form  the  lodge  which  is  to  receive  the 
family.  At  the  anterior  of  this  dwelling,  they  form  a 
gentle  declivity  terminating  in  the  water,  so  that  they 


THE    SIXTH   DAY.  503 

/■ 

enter  and  go  out  under  water.  This  chamber  io  plas- 
tered with  surprising  neatness  on  tlie  inside.  Some- 
times the  interior  is  divided  by  partitions  into  several 
rooms.  At  a  little  distance  is  the  magazine  for  provi- 
sions, of  •which  they  generally  have  an  abundant  stock 
on  hand.  In  short,  the  contrivances  about  the  beavers' 
dwellings  are  calculated  to  fill  us  with  admiration ;  and, 
at  first  appearance,  we  might  well  imagine  them  the 
productions  of  intelligent  beings. 

Edentes,  or  animals  whose  distinctive  character  is 
to  have  no  fore  teeth.  This  order  contains  the  arma- 
dillo, ant-eaters,  ornithorhynchus,  sloth,  pangolin,  etc. 
In  these  we  meet  with  striking  exhibitions  of  the 
endless  diversity  of  the  Creator's  works. 

The  Oniithoi-Jii/nchus  is  a  remarkable  creature ;  it  is  a 
quadruped,  yet  oviparous;  it  has  the  bill  of  a  duck, 
and  is  almost  web-footed;  and  the  male,  like  the 
serpent,  is  armed  with  a  sting,  or  poisoned  spur, 
situated  in  its  hind  legs.  Blumenbach  termed  it  a 
jjaradox. 

The  Ant-eater,  also,  is  a  peculiar  animal;  it  some- 
tnnes  measures  six  or  seven  feet  in  length  and  two 
feet  in  height.  It  is  clothed  in  a  suit  of  scale-armor. 
Its  snout  is  one-fourth  the  length  of  its  whole  body ; 
its  tongue  is  cylindrical,  and  often  thirty  inches  long ; 
and  this  curious  member,  smeared  with  adhesive  mucus, 
it  thrusts  among  the  busy  ants,  and  draws  them  into 
its  mouth  by  thousands ;  and  thence  they  are  conveyed 
whole  into  what  Prof  Owen  has  called  the  triturating 
gizzard  of  a  fowl. 


504  1'^^   SIXTH  DAY. 

Ruminants,  or  animals  that  chew  the  cud.  This 
order  embraces,  beside  the  sheep,  oxen  and  camel, 
already  described,  the  deer,  elk,  antelope,  llama, 
chamois,  giraife,  buffalo,  musk,  ibex,  etc. 

These  animals  are  all  herbivorous,  and  the  rumi- 
nating process  by  which  they  are  distinguished  is  truly 
wonderful.  Their  stomach  is  generally  divided  into 
four  distinct  cavities,  or  chambers ;  the  first  of  which 
serves  as  a  receptacle  for  the  grass  or  herbage,  coarsely 
ground  by  the  first  mastication ;  into  the  second  this 
mass  enters  gradually,  and  is  there  rolled  up  into  small 
balls ;  by  a  voluntary  action  these  balls  are  brought  up 
again,  one  after  another,  into  the  mouth,  and  undergo 
a  second  and  more  thorough  process  of  mastication ; 
after  this  it  descends  into  the  third  stomach,  and  after 
undergoing  the  action  of  that,  passes  into  the  fourth, 
where  it  is  subjected  to  the  digestive  process.  The 
liquids  drunk  by  the  full-grown  animal  pass  at  once 
into  the  second  stomach  to  moisten  the  balls;  while 
the  milk  taken  by  the  calf,  which  does  not  require  to 
be  either  macerated  or  ruminated,  is  conveyed  directly 
into  the  fourth  stomach  for  digestion.  Here,  then,  we 
behold  a  series  of  organs,  mutually  related  and  depen- 
dent, and  performing  a  series  of  progressive  operations, 
which  exhibit  design  and  adaptation  as  clearly  as  the 
mill  which  grinds  our  corn,  or  the  machine  that  weaves 
our  garments. 

Of  Deer  there  is  quite  a  variety,  and  they  are  the 
most  elegant  and  airy,  both  in  form  and  motion,  of  the 


THE    SIXTH  DAY.  505 

whole  class,  and  seem  intended  as  one  of  the  principal 
living  organs  of  the  globe.  The  Gazelle  and  the 
Antelope  are  among  the  fleetest  of  quadrupeds,  and 
exhibit  the  highest  perfection  of  structure  belonging  to 
this  type.  The  Chamois  performs  feats  of  agility  that 
baffle  all  efforts  at  its  capture,  and  overwhelm  with 
astonishment  its  pursuers;  it  has  often  been  seen  to 
leap  down  a  perpendicular  precipice  of  twenty  or  thirty 
feet  high,  without  sustaining  the  slightest  injury. 

The  Giraffe  is  also  a  stately  and  beautiful  animal. 
It  is  very  tall,  its  head  sometimes  standing  full  eighteen 
feet  from  the  ground ;  stretching  out  its  long  neck  and 
long  tongue,  it  can  browse  far  up  the  trees.  These 
magnificent  animals  adorn  the  vast  plains  of  the 
interior  of  Africa. 

The  Bison  or  Buffalo  is  another  notable  ruminant, 
found  both  in  the  Old  and  in  the  New  World.  This 
animal,  with  its  shaggy  mane,  and  fierce  and  fiery  eye, 
though  belonging  to  the  ox  family,  presents  no  slight 
analogy  to  the  lion,  the  king  of  beasts.  Over  the  great 
central  plains  of  North  America,  the  buffalo  roam  and 
migrate  in  vast,  and  sometimes  almost  innumerable 
herds ;  and  the  Indian  reckons  them  among  his  most 
valued  game ;  every  part  and  parcel  of  those  he  takes 
serving  him  either  as  food,  or  clothing,  or  for  the 
manufacture  of  his  weapons  and  implements. 

Pachyderms,  or  thick-skinned  animals.  This  order 
embraces  the  Elephant,  already  described,  together 
with  the  Rhinoceros,  the  Tapir,  and  the  Hip>p)opotamus. 


506  THE    SIXTH   DAY. 

These  are  the  giants  of  the  eartli.  The  BJdnoceros  is 
scarce  inferior  in  size  to  the  elephant,  but,  unlike  that 
animal,  is  wholly  untractable.  One  species  of  this 
creature  has  two  horns,  one  behind  the  other,  on  the 
snout;  but  those  generally  known  have  only  one. 
This  protects  all  the  face,  and  is  a  most  formidable 
weapon ;  the  tiger  dreads  it  even  more  than  the  tusks 
of  the  elephant.  Sometimes  this  horn  is  four  feet  in 
length,  and  six  inches  in  diameter  at  the  base.  The 
skin  of  the  rhinoceros  is  so  thick  and  impenetrable 
that  the  fiercest  and  strongest  animals  can  do  it  but 
little  damage. 

The  Hij)]po]Jotamus  likewise  is  a  vast  and  unwieldy 
looking  animal,  but  of  inoffensive  habits.  Its  enormous 
head  and  mouth,  armed  with  'tusks,  give  it  a  striking 
appearance.  Its  home  is  in  the  still  and  sedgy  waters 
of  Africa.  By  means  of  a  beautiful  contrivance  this 
beast  can  remain  for  some  time  below  water,  and  feed 
on  the  subaqueous  herbage.  Throughout  the  night, 
these  unwieldy  monsters  may  be  heard  snorting  and 
blowing  during  their  aquatic  gambols,  and  not  unfre- 
quently  may  be  discovered  sallying  from  their  reed- 
grown  coverts  to  graze  by  the  serene  light  of  the  moon. 
Their  hide  is  an  inch  and  a  half  thick,  and  being 
scarcely  flexible,  may  be  dragged  from  the  ribs  in 
strips  like  the  planks  from  a  ship's  side.  This  is 
supposed  by  some  to  be  the  animal  called  Behemoth  in 
the  Scripture.  The  Tapir  acts  the  same  part  nearly 
in    the    New  World   that   the   hippopotamus   does  in 


THE    SIXTH   DAY.  607 

the  Old.  These  animals,  of  giant  bulk  and  irresistible 
strength,  can  make  their  way  through  thickest  forests, 
and  thus  often  open  paths  for  man  to  traverse  woods 
and  jungles,  that  would  otherwise  mock  his  eflbrts  to 
penetrate  them. 

Marsupians,  or  animals  that  are  provided  with 
abdominal  pouches,  into  which  the  young,  at  a  very 
early  stage  of  development,  are  received,  and  nourished 
with  milk  secreted  from  glands  contained  within  these 
pouches.  To  this  order  belong  the  kangaroo,  opossum, 
wombat,  koula,  etc. 

The  Kangaroo  is  an  animal  of  considerable  size, 
measuring  sometimes  eight  or  nine  feet  from  the  nose 
to  the  tip  of  the  tail,  and  weighing  some  one  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds.  Its  fore  quarters  are  quite  slender, 
whilst  its  hind  quarters  are  remarkably  robust  and 
incrassated;  it  sits  erect,  resting  upon  them  like  a 
hare ;  it  has  a  powerful  tail,  which  it  uses  as  a  fifth 
leg.  Whilst  the  fore  legs  of  a  full  grown  kangaroo 
measure  only  some  eighteen  inches,  the  hind  legs 
measure  full  forty  inches.  With  this  peculiar  form, 
this  animal  will  spring  forward  a  distance  of  twenty  or 
twenty -five  feet  at  a  single  leap ;  and  though  it  cannot 
run  fast,  its  springs  are  so  rapid  in  succession,  that,  at 
times,  it  will  distance  the  fleetest  greyhound. 

The  Opossum  brings  forth  its  young,  and  rears  them 
in  an  abdominal  sack,  like  the  kangaroo.  Opossums 
are  peculiar  to  America,  and  are  remarkable  for  having 
a   greater   number   of  teeth   than    any  other  animal. 


508  THE  SIXTH  DAY. 

amounting  in  all  to  Hfty.  Its  tail  is  uncommonly 
long,  and  which  it  uses,  not  only  for  climbing  and 
swinging  from  branch  to  branch,  but  also  for  a  support 
to  its  young,  which  sit  on  its  back,  and  twist  their 
tails  round  their  mother's,  in  order  to  prevent  them 
from  fiilling  off.  When  disturbed  or  alarmed,  it  gives 
out  an  offensive  odor. 

REFLECTIONS. 

It  is  stated  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  concerning  the 
various  branches  of  the  human  family,  that  "  God 
before  appointed  the  bounds  of  their  respective  habita- 
tions;" this  is  equally  true  of  the  different  tribes  of 
animals.  Wise  design  and  kind  adaptation  stand  forth 
conspicuously  in  the  arrangement  which  has  assigned 
to  them  their  several  localities.  The  hairless  elephant, 
rhinoceros  and  tapir  are  obviously  made  for  the  heat 
and  luxuriance  of  the  Torrid  Zone;  and  it  is  there 
they  are  found.  The  camel  and  the  dromedary  have 
been  fashioned  and  constituted  with  specific  adaptations 
for  the  parched  and  sandy  deserts  of  the  tropics ;  and 
here,  accordingly,  they  have  been  located.  Advancing 
to  the  more  temperate  regions,  we  still  find  all  crea- 
tures, both  domestic  and  wild,  admirably  fitted  to 
occupy  the  zone  given  to  them  for  their  inheritance. 
And  as  we  proceed  northward,  we  discover  given  to 
the  various  animals  hardihood  of  constitution,  together 
with  warmth  of  covering,  increasing  with  the  increasing 
rigor  of  the  climate,  till  we  pass  within  the  Arctic 


THE  SIXTH  DAY.  509 

circle,  and  reach  the  polar  bears.  Voyagers  in  those 
latitudes  tell  us  that  these  animals  disport  in  regions 
of  ice,  and  revel  in  an  intensity  of  cold,  which,  to  man, 
with  every  contrivance  of  art  for  protection,  is  almost 
past  endurance,  and  produces  in  him  diseases  which 
shortly  terminate  his  existence, — that  they  sit  for  hours 
like  statues  upon  icebergs,  where,  if  we  were  to  take 
up  our  position  for  one  half  hour,  we  should  become 
statues  indeed,  and  be  frozen  into  the  lasting  rigidity 
of  death, — that  they  slide  in  frolic  down  slopes  of  snow, 
which,  if  we  were  to  touch  with  our  bare  hand,  would 
instantly,  like  fire,  destroy  its  vitality.  Who  that 
contemplates  these  shaggy  creatures  of  the  pole,  so 
constituted  as  to  find  a  congenial  home  amid  eternal 
ice  and  snow,  and  to  take  their  frolicsome  pastime 
amid  the  bleak  and  dismal  horrors  of  an  arctic  night, 
but  must  confess  that  every  creature,  by  Divine  ap- 
pointment and  adaptation,  is  suited  for  its  place,  and 
that  every  place  is  fitted  for  its  given  occupants  ? 

While  this  general  adaptation  of  animals  for  their 
intended  localities  plainly  indicates  the  kind  providence 
of  God,  the  destructive  character  and  predaceous  habits 
of  many  .of  them,  at  first  blush,  are  far  from  corres- 
ponding to  our  ideas  of  the  Divine  benevolence.  When 
we  see  the  prowling  wolf  spring  upon  the  playful  lamb, 
and  tear  it  in  pieces ;  or  the  taloned  vulture  descend 
and  bear  away  the  mother  hen  from  among  her  helpless 
brood ;  or  the  rapacious  shark  dive  into  a  shoal  of 
smaller  fish  and  devour  them  by  the  hundred  out  of 


510  THE    SIXTH   DAY. 

the  midst  of  their  happy  gambols — such  scenes  shock 
all  our  sensibilities  as  horrid  cruelties,  and,  for  a 
moment,  we  stagger  in  our  attempts  to  reconcile  them 
with  the  benevolence  we  have  been  taught  to  ascribe 
to  the  Creator.  A  little  reflection,  however,  serves  to 
present  this  subject  in  a  milder  and  more  favorable 
light. 

According  to  the  existing  order  of  creation,  all  ani- 
mals must  die  in  one  way  or  another ;  for,  were  all  to 
live  on,  and  multiply  as  they  do  now,  it  would  require 
but  a  short  period  before  their  progeny  would  exceed 
the  capacity  of  nature  to  support  them.  Immortality 
for  animals,  therefore,  upon  the  earth  is  out  of  the 
question.  Consequently  every  living  thing  must  die, 
either  by  acute  disease,  or  by  slow  decay,  or  by 
violence.  "  The  simple  and  natural  life  of  brutes  is 
not  often  visited  by  acute  distempers ;  nor  could  it  be 
deemed  an  improvement  of  their  lot  if  it  were.  Let  it 
be  considered,  therefore,  in  what  a  condition  of  suffering 
and  misery  a  brute  animal  is  placed,  which  is  left  to 
perish  by  decay.  In  human  sickness  or  infirmity,  there 
is  the  assistance  of  man's  rational  fellow-creatures,  if 
not  to  alleviate  his  pains,  at  least  to  minister  to  his 
necessities,  and  to  supply  the  place  of  his  own  activity. 
A  brute,  in  his  wild  and  natural  state,  does  every  thing 
for  himself.  When  his  strength,  therefore,  or  his  speed, 
or  his  limbs,  or  his  senses  fail  him,  he  is  delivered 
over  either  to  absolute  famine,  or  to  the  protracted 
wretchedness  of  a  life  slowly  wasted  by  scarcity  of  food. 


THE    SIXTH   DAY.  511 

Is  it,  then,  to  see  the  world  filled  with  drooping,  super- 
annuated, lialf-starved,  helpless  and  unhelped  animals, 
that  we  would  alter  the  present  system  of  pursuit 
and  prey  ?  "  * 

To  the  foregoing  remarks  we  may  add  that,  death  to 
an  animal  by  violence  from  another  is  attended  by  a 
far  less  amount  of  suffering,  than  we  are  apt  to  suppose; 
for,  when  it  comes,  it  generally  comes  too  suddenly  to 
admit  of  much  pain.  Incapable  of  reflection,  the  lamb 
browses  untroubled  by  a  thought  of  death  until  it  is 
actually  upon  him.  And  the  hare,  as  Paley  again 
observes,  notwithstanding  the  number  of  its  dangers 
and  enemies,  is  as  playful  an  animal  as  any  other. 
And  when  actually  under  the  paw,  or  within  the  jaws 
of  the  destroyer,  its  actual  suffering  may  not  be  as 
great  as  we  have  been  led  to  imagine.  The  account 
which  Dr.  Livingston  gives  of  his  sensations  when  the 
lion  seized  him  by  his  arm,  "and  shook  him  as  a 
terrier-dog  does  a  rat,"  would  lead  us  to  the  conclusion 
that  appearances  here  may  be  deceptive.  "  The  shock," 
he  says,  "produced  a  stupor  similar  to  that  which 
seems  to  be  felt  by  a  mouse  after  the  first  shake  of  the 
cat.  It  caused  a  sort  of  dreaminess,  in  which  there 
was  no  sense  of  pain,  nor  feeling  of  terror,  though  I 
was  quite  conscious  of  all  that  was  happening.  It 
was  like  what  patients  partly  under  the  influence  of 
chloroform  describe,  who  see  the  operation,  but  feel  not 

*  Paley's  Natural  Theology. 


512  THE  SIXTH  DA  Y. 

the  knife."  He  infers  that  the  same  complacency  is 
common  to  animals  when  between  the  jaws  of  their 
enemies,  and  is  an  express  and  merciful  provision  of 
the  Creator.  In  fact,  though  disease  is  often  painful, 
the  act  of  dying  is  not.  Multitudes  have  testified  to 
its  ease  with  their  last  breath ;  both  drowning  and 
hanging  are  said  to  be  attended  even  with  pleasurable 
feelings ;  and  death  by  freezing  with  "  sleepy  comfort." 
And  as  man  is  more  highly  nerved,  more  acutely 
sensitive,  than  the  lower  animals,  their  sufferings  must 
be  less ;  and,  altogether,  it  may  reasonably  be  inferred 
that  the  pangs  which  death  inflicts  upon  them  are  not 
very  great.  Since,  therefore,  death  in  one  form  or 
another  is  unavoidable  to  all  animals,  if  any  one  class 
of  them  is  at  greater  disadvantage  than  another,  it 
would  appear  to  be  that  class  which  perishes  slowly 
and  from  natural  decay. 

REPTILE8. 

And  God  made  every  creeping  thing  that  creepeth  upon  the  earth 

after  his  kind. 

Under  this  designation  are  included  the  various 
orders  of  reptiles  that  inhabit  the  earth.  While  many 
of  these  from  the  earliest  ages  have  been  held  in 
abhorrence,  and  studiously  avoided  as  unclean  and 
hateful  creatures,  yet  careful  and  intelligent  observa- 
tion has  discovered  in  them  many  extraordinary 
qualities  and  interesting  habits,  adding  much  to  the 


THE  SIXTH  DAY.  513 

accumulated  evidences  we  have  of  the  inexhaustible 
resources  of  the  Divine  Intelligence. 

Several  species  of  reptiles  are  amphibious ;  these 
have  cold  blood,  are  oviparous,  and  have  lungs  of  a 
very  simple  structure.  Some  of  them  are  furnished 
with  formidable  teeth,  and  some  have  none.  Some  are 
fierce  and  predaceous,  others  are  perfectly  harmless. 
The  bodies  of  all  are  cold  to  the  touch,  and  this, 
together  with  the-  sliminess  of  some  and  the  squalid 
appearance  of  most  of  them,  has  made  them  in  general 
objects  of  aversion. 

Saurians,  or  Lizards.     This  family  comprises  no  less 

than  four  hundred  and  sixty  species ;  and  among  them 

the  most  notable  is  the  Crocodile.     This  voracious  and 

dreaded  animal  lives  along  the  banks  and  in  the  waters 

of  the  great  rivers  of  the  Torrid  Zone.     In  shape  it 

resembles   the   common   lizard,   and   walks,  or  rather 

crawls,  on  four  short  legs;    its  body  tapering  into  a 

lengthy  tail.     It  is  encased  in  strong  and  close  scales, 

as  in  a  coat  of  mail,  impervious  even  to  a  musket  ball. 

It  sometimes  grows  to  the  enormous  size  of  twenty  feet 

in  length,  and  five  feet  in  circumference,  yet  its  eggs 

scarce  exceed  in  size  those  of  a  swan,  of  which  it  lays 

from  seventy  to  eighty ;  but,  by  a  merciful  arrangement 

of  Providence,  most  of  these  are  destroyed.     Its  mouth 

is  immense,  and  armed  with  a  frightful  array  of  sharp 

teeth.     Its  bellowing  noise  is  equal  to  that  of  an  ox. 

A  great  part  of  its  time  is  spent  in  the  water,  and  floats 

on  its  surface  like  a  dead  tree;  or  else  secretes  itself  in 
33 


514  TUE  SIXTH  DAY. 

the  tall  reeds  by  the  river  side ;  and  when  a  steer,  a 
tiger,  or  even  the  lion  himself,  comes  to  drink,  it  will 
sometimes  spring  upon  him,  and  succeed  in  dragging 
him  under  water,  and  making  him  its  prey.  Its 
strength  is  prodigious ;  with  one  stroke  of  its  tail,  it 
has  been  known  to  dash  a  strong  boat  into  splinters ; 
yet  these  animals  are  capable  of  being  tamed.  Bruce 
mentions  in  his  Travels,  that  in  Abyssinia,  children 
may  be  seen  riding  on  their  backs ;  and  it  is  a  well 
known  historical  fact  that,  the  priests  in  the  temple  of 
Memphis,  in  the  celebration  of  their  heathen  mysteries, 
were  in  the  habit  of  introducing  tame  crocodiles  to  the 
deluded  multitude  as  objects  of  worship.  They  were 
fed  from  the  hands  of  their  conductors,  and  decorated 
with  jewels  and  wreaths  of  flowers. 

The  Gavial  of  India  differs  somewhat  from  the 
crocodile  of  Egypt,  in  the  form  and  furniture  of  its 
mouth,  while  in  length  of  body  it  exceeds  it  by  many 
feet,  and  is  a  most  formidable  animal. 

Nearly  allied  to  the  foregoing  is  the  Alligator,  or 
American  crocodile.  It  is  much  smaller,  however, 
than  either  of  them.  This  species  formerly  abounded 
in  the  south-western  region  of  the  United  States,  in 
nearly  every  stream  and  lake.  "On  the  Red  River, 
before  it  was  navigated  by  steam  vessels,  they  were  so 
extremely  abundant  that,  to  see  hundreds  at  a  time 
along  the  shores,  or  on  the  immense  rafts  of  floating  or 
stranded  timber,  was  quite  a  common  occurrence,  the 
smaller  on  the  backs  of  the  larger,  groaning  and  utter- 


THE    SIXTH  DAY.  515 

ing  their  bellowing  noise,  like  thousands  of  irritated 
bulls  about  to  meet  in  fight ;  but  all  so  careless  of  man, 
that  he  might  paddle  by  them  unnoticed." 

To  this  class  belong  a  multitude  of  smaller  creatures, 
of  the  lizard  type  j  some  of  Avhicli  are  predatory,  but 
by  far  the  greater  part  are  inoffensive,  though  their 
repulsive  looks  and  cold  surface  make  them  shunned. 
Yet  some  species  there  are  which  are  distinguished  for 
the  beauty  of  their  colors,  the  splendor  of  their  scales, 
eclipsing  even  the  most  brilliant  plumage. 

Chelonians,  or  Tortoises.  Of  this  family  there  are 
more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty  different  species ; 
some  inhabiting  salt  water,  some  fresh  water,  and  some 
living  entirely  on  the  dry  land.  The  body  of  the 
Tortoise  is  protected  by  two  large  homy  plates,  one 
above  and  the  other  below,  and  joined  at  the  edges. 
This  covering  is  of  amazing  strength.  One  of  the  large 
species  has  been  known  to  bear  a  weight  of  seven 
hundred  pounds  without  sustaining  the  least  injury. 
From  this  shelly  covering  the  animal  cannot  disengage 
itself;  but  within  it  he  is  safe  from  almost  any  enemy 
but  man.  Living  wholly  on  vegetable  food,  it  is  a 
harmless  creature,  if  left  undisturbed. 

The  vital  energy  of  these  animals  is  remarkable. 
Several  have  been  known  to  live  from  eighty  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty  years,  and  one  is  mentioned  that 
survived  upwards  of  two  hundred  years.  As  for  killing 
tliem,  it  cannot  easily  be  done.  Goldsmith  states  that 
Redi,  an  Italian  philosopher,  took  a  land  tortoise,  made 


51  g  TEE  SIXTH  DAY. 

a  large  oj)enmg  in  his  skull,  and  drew  out  all  the  brain, 
washed  the  cavity,  so  as  not  to  leave  the  smallest  part 
remaining,  and  then,  leaving  the  hole  open,  set  the 
animal  at  liberty.     Notwithstanding  this,  the  tortoise 
walked  away  without  seeming  to  have  received  the 
smallest  injury,  only  it  shut  the  eyes,  and  never  opened 
them   afterwards.     In  a   few  days   the  aperture  was 
overgrown  with  skin,  and  the  animal  lived  on  without 
brain  for  six  months,  walking  about   unconcernedly, 
and  using  its  limbs  as  before.     Not  satisfied  with  this 
experiment,  Redi  carried  it  further,  and  cut  off  the 
head,  and  the  tortoise  lived  for  twenty-three  days  after 
its  separation  from  the  body.     The  head  also  continued 
to  rattle  the  jaws,  like  a  pair  of  castanets,  for  above  a 
quarter  of  an  hour. 

This  class  of  creatures  have  a  peculiar  arrangement 
for  the  circulation  of  their  blood.  Though  they  have 
lungs,  the  blood,  instead  of  passing  through  them,  as  in 
warm-blooded  animals,  goes  directly  to  the  arteries, 
which  send  it  through  the  frame.  Hence  they  are 
able  to  live  for  a  considerable  time  without  breathing, 
and  thus  to  remain  under  water  without  the  slightest 
inconvenience.  And  in  view  of  such  facts,  who  but 
must  devoutly  admire  the  wisdom  that  has  contrived 
such  a  variety  of  organized  existences,  and  so  marvel- 
lously adapted  them  to  the  peculiarities  of  their 
diversified  habitations  ? 

Ophidians,  or  Serpents.     This  tribe  includes  some 
three  hundred  species ;  all  of  these  cast  off  their  skins 


THE  SIXTH  DAT.  517 

periodically,  and  in  colder  latitudes  are  torpid  during 
winter.  Their  habits  are  thoroughly  predacious, — 
insects,  frogs,  birds  and  beasts  become  their  prey; 
and  which  they  swallow  whole,  leaving  neither  skin, 
nor  bone,  nor  scale  of  their  victims  upon  the  face  of 
nature.  The  mechanism  of  the  mouth  of  these  ani- 
mals is  so  contrived,  and  the  pieces  that  form  it  so  put 
together,  as  to  enable  them  to  twist  and  distort  and 
dilate  it  so  enormously,  that  they  can  swallow  animals 
bigger  than  their  own  bodies. 

The  Boa  Constrictor  is  a  most  formidable  reptile, 
and  has  frequently  been  found  thirty-five  feet,  and 
even  forty  feet  long,  and  as  thick  as  a  man's  body. 
This  monster  lurks  in  the  dense  recesses  of  tropical 
forests,  where,  when  prompted  by  hunger,  it  preys  on 
every  animal  that  comes  within  its  reach.  Coiled 
round  the  boughs  of  trees,  it  has  darted  on  the  unwary 
traveller  passing  beneath,  and  after  crushing  him  into 
a  mummy  in  its  terrible  folds,  gorged  him  at  a 
mouthful.  In  the  same  way,  and  with  equal  facility, 
it  has  attacked  and  killed  the  strongest  animals,  and 
then  swallowed  them  whole.  These  unconscionable 
repasts  are  followed  by  torpor,  and  the  unwieldy 
animal,  buried  in  some  inaccessible  lair,  there  digests 
its  meal ;  and  at  length  awakes  again  at  the  calls  of 
hunger.  Thus  prompted  it  glides  cautiously  forth,  and 
every  beast  of  the  forest  that  is  able  flies  at  its 
approach.  The  great  Lihoya  is  said  to  be  the  largest 
species  now  in  existence,  of  which  Legant  saw  one  in 
Java  that  measured  fifty  feet  long. 


518  THE  SIXTH  DAY. 

Though  serpents  possess  neither  feet,  nor  fins,  nor 
wings,  yet  few  animals  are  so  nimble,  or  can  transport 
themselves  from  place  to  place  with  equal  grace  and 
agility.  Whether  to  seize  their  prey,  or  to  escape 
from  danger,  many  of  them  move  with  the  rapidity  of 
an  arrow ;  they  emulate,  and  even  surpass  many  birds 
in  the  ease  and  SAviftness  with  which  they  gain  the 
tops  of  the  highest  trees ;  twisting  and  untwisting  their 
flexible  bodies  around  their  trunks  and  branches  with 
such  celerity  that  the  sharpest  eye  can  scarcely  follow 
their  rapid  motion.  The  black  snake,  it  is  said,  will 
glide  over  the  face  of  the  earth  almost  as  fast  as  a 
horse  can  gallop,  and  can  also  climb  trees  with  the 
utmost  agility. 

Serpents  give  many  indications  of  superior  instincts 
and  sensations.  They  have  always  been  an  emblem 
of  cunning;  the  Egyptians  used  the  serpent  in  their 
hieroglyphics  as  a  symbol  of  wisdom.  They  wait  with 
amazing  patience,  and  almost  absolutely  motionless, 
the  favorable  moment  for  seizing  their  prey.  Towards 
assailants,  they  often  manifest  violent  rage  and  fearless 
courage ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  they  are  capable  of 
being  so  tamed  as  to  show  strong  signs  of  attachment 
to  their  masters.  Some  species  are  said  to  be  suscepti- 
ble to  the  charms  of  music,  and  will  crawl  out  of  their 
hiding-places  to  listen  to  it. 

Their  tenacity  of  life  is  remarkable.  They  can  go 
for  months  together  without  food ;  a  viper  can  live  a 
year  without  any  nourishment ;  and  M.  Audubon  had 


THE    SIXTn  DAY.  519 

a  rattle-snake  in  a  cage,  which  for  three  years  refused 
all  food.  They  can  boar  to  be  frozen  and  thawed 
alternately  without  extinguishing  life,  or  injuring  any 
of  the  functional  powers.  They  have  been  found  with 
food  in  their  stomachs  frozen,  and  not  digested;  but 
when  exposed  to  heat,  they  revived,  and  digestion 
commenced  and  continued  till  all  the  food  disappeared, 
as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

Of  all  the  serpentine  family,  some  twenty-six  species 
only  are  poisonous;  of  these  the  viper,  the  hooded 
snake,  and  the  rattlesnake  are  the  most  deadly.  The 
venomous  fangs  of  these  animals  present  the  most 
striking  exhibitions  of  mechanical  contrivance  in  all 
animated  nature.  The  purpose,  of  the  Creator  in 
calling*  into  existence  animals  so  malignant,  and 
endowing,  them  with  powers  so  deadly,  is  a  question 
involved  in  nuich  darkness  and  difficulty.  On  this 
recondite  subject  we  can  only  say  that,  from  the 
benevolence  which  pervades  the  general  designs  of 
creation  we  ought  also  to  presume  that,  if  we  fully 
understood  all  the  ends  accomplished  in  the  economy 
of  nature  by  these  venomous  reptiles,  w'e  should  see 
and  acknowledge  that  God  was  as  wise  and  good  in 
their  creation  as  in  that  of  any  other  animated  beings. 

Rattlesnakes  are  viviparous.  When  their  young 
apprehend  danger,  they  run,  like  the  little  chickens, 
to  their  best  protector;  and  the  method  nature  has 
provided  for  their  safety  is  most  singular,  for  the 
mother  opens  her  mouth  and  swallows  them  alive,  and 


520  "^^^   SIXTH  DAY. 

returns  them  again  when  danger  is  over.     Of  this  fact 
M.  de  Beauvois  says  he  was  an  eye-witness. 

Batraciiians,  or  Frogs.  Of  these  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  species  have  been  enumerated.  The  form 
and  habits  of  the  frog  are  too  familiar  to  need  descrip- 
tion 5  the  history  of  its  production,  however,  is  full  of 
interest.  The  germ  of  its  existence  is  a  diminutive 
egg  floating  in  the  water;  this  gradually  becomes  a 
living,  moving  globule,  which,  in  due  process  of  time, 
is  transformed  into  a  tadpole ;  in  the  course  of  a  few 
weeks  this  again  puts  forth  four  legs,  and  now  wears 
the  appearance  of  a  lizard ;  after  a  short  period  longer, 
the  tail  dro23S  off,  and,  all  the  necessary  changes  of 
constitution  being  completed,  the  animal  emerges  from 
the  water,  and  begins  a  new  mode  of  existence,  having 
become  a  perfect  frog.  Thus  this  despised  little  crear 
ture  passes  through  three  separate  modes  of  existence. 
How  marvellous  are  the  plans  and  processes  pursued  in 
the  production  of  the  humblest  of  Nature's  works. 

Nearly  related  to  the  frog  is  the  Toad.  In  form  it 
is  very  much  like  the  frog,  and  is  equally  harmless. 
That  called  Pipa,  and  found  in  Surinam,  brings  up  its 
young  something  like  the  opossum.  On  the  back  of 
the  female  are  certain  cavities,  like  the  cells  of  a  bee. 
When  she  lays  her  eggs,  the  male  gathers  them 
together,  about  seventy-five  in  number,  and  places 
them  carefully  in  these  hiding-places,  which  then  close 
over  them;  in  about  three  months  they  are  hatched, 
and  come  out  in  miniature,  just  like  the  parent. 


THE  SIXTH  DAY.  521 

Some  persons  entertain  a  special  aversion  to  toads, 
and  make  a  practice  of  ill-treating  or  killing  them 
whenever  they  chance  to  cross  their  path,  because,  as 
they  say,  "  They  are  so  ugly."  And  frogs,  by  reason 
of  their  close  resemblance,  being  mistaken  for  them, 
are  frequently  subjected  to  similar  cruel  treatment. 
Such  conduct  assuredly  evinces  a  shocking  disregard 
of  the  sacred  rights  of  sentient  creatures.  So  ugly! 
That  God's  creatures  should  seem  ugly  to  us,  when 
every  thing  in  nature  is  good  and  admirable  after  its 
kind,  is  one  of  our  own  imperfections ;  each  toad,  each 
crawling  worm,  each  living  atom,  is  the  product  of 
infinite  and  unerring  skill;  and  instead  of  wickedly 
maiming  or  massacring  what  we  are  too  ignorant  to 
admire,  and,  perhaps,  too  indolent  to  study,  it  should 
be  a  lesson  of  humility  to  us  that  we  cannot  see  with 
more  discerning  minds.  Even  the  toad  has  his  excel- 
lences ;  to  name  no  more,  his  eye  is  a  living  gem  of 
beauty.  To  condemn  and  hate  the  form  in  which 
these  little  animals,  or  any  others,  have  been  made,  is 
nothing  less  than  to  reproach  their  Maker;  and  to 
lacerate  and  destroy  them  simply  because  they  are  not 
conformable  to  our  notions  of  beauty,  is  no  other  than 
vicious  cruelty.  Go  on,  poor  toad !  go  on  thy  way, 
there  is  room  enough  in  the  world  both  for  me  and 
for  thee. 

Vermes,  or  Worms.  This  is  a  very  numerous  family, 
and  embraces  over  eight  hundred  species.  These  pre- 
sent us  with  almost  every  imaginable  form,  organiza- 


522  ^^^    SIXTH  DAY. 

tioii,  and  habit.  Some  are  naked,  and  some  are 
encased ;  some  have  heads  and  eyes  and  antennae,  and 
some  have  none  of  these;  some  are  formed  with 
mouths,  and  some  are  furnished  with  probosces ;  some 
live  in  the  water,  and  some  in  the  soil ;  yet  the  struc- 
ture and  senses  of  every  species,  as  far  as  studied, 
appear  marvellously  adapted  to  its  particular  place  and 
mode  of  existence. 

The  common  Earthworm,  though  despised  and  often 

trampled   upon   by  the   ignorant   and   thoughtless,  is 

found  by  the  man  of  science  a  subject  full  of  interesting 

wonders.     Its  blood  circulates  without  the  intervention 

of  a  heart,  and  its  nervous  system  exhibits  features 

peculiar   to  itself.     Along   its  back  is  a  row  of  one 

hundred  and  twenty  apertures,  opening  between  the 

segments  of  the  body,  for  the  purpose  of  respiration. 

If  this  worm  be  cut  in  two,  each  part  in  a  short  time 

will  become   a  perfect  and  complete  worm,  like  the 

original.     And  if  each  of  these  be  divided  again  in 

like  manner,  the  same  result  will  follow.     The  little 

worm  called  Xais  has   been   divided  into  twenty-six 

parts,  and  nearly  all  of  them  produced  the  head  and 

tail,  and  became  so  many  distinct  individuals.     Add  to 

all  this,  the  earthworms  serve  very  important  ends  in 

the    economy   of    nature,    although    their   labors   are 

generally  overlooked.     They  are  nature's  ploughmen. 

They  bore  the  stubborn  soil  in  every  direction,  and 

render  it  pervious  to  the  air,  to  the  rain,  and  to  the 

fibres  of  plants  and  grasses.     Without  these  auxiliaries, 


THE  SIXTH  DAY.  523 

the  farmer  would  find  his  land  cold,  hard-bound,  and 
unproductive.  The  green  mantle  of  vegetation  which 
covers  the  earth  is  dependent  in  no  small  degree  upon 
the  worms  which  burrow  among  its  roots,  and  enrich 
them  with  their  refuse,  and  finally  with  their  own 
bodies. 

Another  class  of  worms  possessing  great  interest, 
and  that  have  enlisted  much  study,  are  those  called 
Entozoa,  or  parasites.  These  inhabit  the  bodies  of 
living  animals,  including  man  himself  Many  hundred 
species  of  them  have  been  detected  and  described.  "It 
is  a  notorious  fact,"  says  Watson,  in  his  Medical  Lec- 
tures, "that  numerous  parasites  do  crawl  over  our 
surface,  burrow  beneath  our  skin,  nestle  in  our  entrails, 
and  riot  and  propagate  their  kind  in  every  corner  of 
our  frame.  Nearly  a  score  of  animals  belonging  to  the 
interior  of  the  human  body  have  been  already  dis- 
covered and  described;  and  there  is  scarcely  a  tissue 
or  an  organ  but  is  occasionally  profaned  by  their 
inroads."  They  have  been  found,  not  only  in  the 
intestines,  but  in  the  muscles,  in  the  liver,  in  the 
kidneys,  floating  in  the  blood,  buried  in  the  substance 
of  the  heart  and  brain,  and  even  within  the  ball  of  the 
eye.  These,  assuredl}^  are  facts  sufficient  to  humble 
the  foolish  pride  of  man.  How  true,  how  literally 
correct,  the  words  of  alllicted  Job,  "  I  have  said  to 
corruption,  Thou  art  my  father;  and  to  the  worm. 
Thou  art  my  mother  and  my  sister:  my  llesh  is 
clothed  with  worms  and  clods  of  the  dust." 


624  1'^^   SIXTH  DAY. 

REFLECTIONS. 

In  the  forty-first  chapter  of  Job,  the  Crocodile,  under 
the  name  Leviathan,  is  pointed  out  and  described  as  a 
specimen  of  the  Creator's  power  and  authority,  and  as 
serving  to  abate  the  pride  and  humble  the  haughtiness 
of  mortals.  And  when,  in  comparison  w^ith  man,  we 
consider  this  reptile's  vast  dimensions,  its  enormous 
voracity  and  strength,  its  fleetness  in  swimming,  its 
daring  impetuosity,  its  frightful  mouth  and  impenetra- 
ble scales,  it  is  well  calculated  to  inspire  terror  and  to 
humble  man,  while  it  displays  and  magnifies  the 
power  of  Him  who  created  it.  Yet  geologists,  as 
noticed  in  the  early  part  of  the  work,  tell  us,  and  their 
statements  are  confirmed  by  visible  proof,  that  even 
the  crocodile  and  the  gavial  are  but  pigmies  compared 
with  the  race  of  Saurians  that  occupied  the  surface  of 
our  globe  far  back  in  the  pre-Adamite  periods  of  its 
history,  when,  says  Hugh  Miller,  "there  were  lizards 
bulkier  than  elephants;  reptilian  whales  furnished 
with  necks  slim  and  long  as  the  bodies  of  great  snakes; 
flying  dragons,  whose  spread  of  wing  greatly  more 
than  doubled  that  of  the  largest  bird."  While  we 
stand  in  awe  as  we  contemplate  such  appalling  mon- 
sters, we  cannot  but  feel  a  glow  of  thankfulness  that 
their  number,  range,  and  magnitude  have  now  been 
reduced  to  a  point  consistent  with  human  safety. 

The  serpent  race  stands  in  interesting  but  painful 
association  with  the  history  and  destiny  of  man,  as  the 


THE    SIXTH   DAY  525 

instrument  of  his  fall  in  Eden.  Sin,  the  Scripture 
informs  us,  had  entered  the  universe  before  the  crea- 
tion of  man.  A  great  number  of  the  exalted  spiritual 
beings  that  surrounded  the  eternal  throne,  at  some 
dateless  period,  had  revolted  and  swerved  from  their 
allegiance  to  Jehovah,  under  the  guidance  of  one 
particular  leader,  called  Satan.  And  this  fallen  arch- 
angel, now  wicked  and  depraved,  not  content  with  the 
ruin  of  himself  and  associates,  desired  and  sought  the 
ruin  of  the  newly-created  man  likewise.  And  for  the 
more  successful  accomplishment  of  his  malicious  design, 
he  employed  the  agency  of  a  serpent.  To  us,  at  this 
day,  this  creature,  a  loathsome  reptile,  may  appear  a 
most  unsuitable  instrument  for  this  purpose.  But  we 
must  remember  that  the  Scripture  teaches  us  that  the 
serpent  is  not  now  what  it  then  loas.  It  is  now  in  a 
form  and  in  a  state  of  degradation.  This  is  a  point  of 
interest.  The  Hebrew  name  given  to  the  serpent  in 
this  place  is  naliasli,  a  term  signifying  discernment, 
sagacity.  The  original  name,  therefore,  of  this  creature, 
plainly  indicates  one  of  more  than  ordinary  intellect, 
and  not  a  stupid  reptile.  And  the  sacred  narrative 
expressly  states,  that  the  creature  here  intended  stood 
at  the  head  of  the  animal  creation,  and  was  the  most 
subtle  or  sagacious  of  all  the  beasts  which  the  Lord 
God  had  made.  We  have,  therefore,  grounds  to  believe 
that  this  animal  was  not  of  its  present  serpentine  char- 
acter before  the  fall  of  man.  But  immediately  after 
that  sad  event,  and  in  consequence  of  its  instrumental 


526  "^^^   SIXTH  DAY. 

connection  with  it,  and  for  a  memento  to  man  of  his 
own  fall  and  depravation,  it  was  transformed  and 
degraded  into  such  a  reptile  as  we  now  behold  it.  In 
the  beginning,  it  stood  chief  among  the  brute  creation, 
but  from  the  day  of  man's  fall  it  became  a  vile  and 
creeping  thing.  "  Upon  thy  belly  shalt  thou  go,  and 
dust  shalt  thou  eat  all  the  days  of  thy  life."  Accord- 
ingly, we  find  that  it  was  a  common  belief  among  the 
ancient  Jews  and  the  early  Christians  that  the  serpent, 
before  the  fall,  was  not  only  gentle  and  innocuous, 
but  in  form  and  appearance  among  the  most  beautiful 
of  creatures.  The  serpent,  therefore,  being  thus  at  the 
head  of  the  animal  creation,  and  making  the  nearest 
approach  to  man  in  intelligence,  was  the  most  suitable 
to  be  made  the  vehicle  of  the  designs  and  assault  of 
Satan.  We  have  no  evidence,  indeed,  that  this  crea- 
ture ever  possessed  the  faculty  of  speech;  but  as 
Balaam's  ass,  under  the  influence  of  superior  power, 
was  enabled  to  speak  with  human  voice,  so  it  may  be 
that  the  serpent  was  for  the  time  gifted  with  vocal 
power,  under  the  .influence  of  this  fallen  archangel. 
Or,  whatever  else  the  true  explanation  of  this  may  be, 
the  fact  that  words  proceeded  out  of  the  mouth  of  the 
nalmsh  is  certain,  for  God  hath  said  it.  The  words 
and  reasoning  addressed  to  Eve,  however,  were  in 
reality  the  words  and  reasoning  of  Satan,  who  had 
entered  the  serpent,  that  is,  they  were  the  produce  of 
Satan's  intellect.  In  the  crawling  serpent,  then,  we 
have  a  perpetual  remembrancer,  even  to  the  end  of 


THE    SIXTH  DAY.  527 

time,    that   we    are   the   fallen   offspring   of    a   fallen 
parent. 

No  creature  of  God  has  been  made  in  vain.  All  His 
works,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest,  have  been 
formed  in  wisdom,  and  for  worthy  ends.  The  fore- 
going class  of  animated  nature,  however,  have  been 
shunned  and  hated,  rather  than  studied  and  admired 
by  the  generality  of  mankind.  But  the  hasty  glance 
we  have  now  taken  plainly  shows,  that  crawling 
reptiles  bear  the  impress  of  the  Divine  Hand,  and  that 
His  goodness  extendeth  even  to  these.  Even  the 
worm  has  his  place  to  fill,  and  his  part  to  perform,  in 
the  great  system,  and  is  neither  forgotten  nor  over- 
looked by  the  Great  Father  of  all.  "  I  wish  to  impress 
upon  your  minds,"  said  Dr.  Mason  Good  to  his  students, 
"  by  the  incontrovertiljle  facts  of  living  examples,  that 
nothing  is  low,  nothing  is  little,  nothing  in  itself 
unworthy,  in  the  view  of  the  Creator  and  common 
Parent  of  the  universe ;  that  nothing  lies  be3'ond  the 
reach  of  His  benevolence,  or  the  shadow  of  His  pro- 
tection. God  alike  supplies  the  wants,  and  ministers 
to  the  enjoyment  of  every  living  creature ;  He  alike 
finds  them  food  in  rocks  and  in  wildernesses,  in  the 
bowels  of  the  earth,  and  in  the  depths  of  the  ocean. 
His  is  the  wisdom  that  to  different  kinds,  and  in 
different  ways,  has  adapted  different  habits  and  modes 
of  being;  and  has  powerfully  endowed  witli  instinct 
where  He  has  strikingly  restrained  in  intelligence.  It 
is  He  that  has  given  cunning  where  cunning  is  found 


528  THE   SIXTH  DAY. 

necessary,  and  wariness  where  caution  is  demanded; 
that  has  furnished  with  rapidity  of  foot,  or  fin,  or  wing, 
where  such  qualities  appear  expedient;  and  where 
might  is  of  moment,  has  afforded  proofs  of  a  might  the 
most  terrible  and  irresistible."  His  mermj  is  over  all 
His  works  ;  and  all  His  works  ^praise  Him. 


II. 


Man   is   made   in   the   likeness   and   image   of  God, 


II. 

THE    SIXTH    DAY. 

Genesis  1  :  26-31. — And  God  said,  Let  us  make  man  in  our  image,  after 
our  likeness  ;  and  let  them  have  dominion  over  the  fisli  of  the  sea,  and 
over  the  fowl  of  the  air,  and  over  the  cattle,  and  over  all  the  earth,  and 
over  every  creeping  thing  that  creepeth  upon  the  earth.  So  God  crea- 
ted man  in  his  own  image,  in  the  image  of  God  created  He  him  ;  male 
and  female  created  lie  them.  And  God  hlessed  them,  and  God  said 
unto  them.  Be  fruitful,  and  multiply,  and  replenish  the  earth,  and  sub- 
due it ;  and  have  dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the  fowl  of 
the  air,  and  over  every  living  thing  that  moveth  upon  the  earth.  And 
God  said,  Behold,  I  have  given  you  every  herb  bearing  seed,  which  is 
upon  the  face  of  all  the  earth,  and  every  tree,  in  which  is  the  fruit  of  a 
tree  yielding  seed  ;  to  you  it  shall  be  for  meat.  And  to  every  beast  of 
the  earth,  and  to  every  fowl  of  the  air,  and  to  every  thing  that  creepeth 
upon  the  earth,  wherein  there  is  life,  I  have  given  every  green  herb  for 
meat :  and  it  was  so.  And  God  saw  every  thing  that  He  had  made,  and, 
behold,  it  was  very  good.  And  the  evening  and  the  morning  were  the 
sixth  day. 

3IAN. 

AY  by  day,  and  from  stage  to  stage,  we  have 

traced  the  progressive  work  of  creation,  till  we 

J|   are  now  arrived  near  its  close.     All  that  we 

have  thus  far  surveyed,  however,  has  been  but 

preparatory  work — but  the  fitting  up  of  a  mansion  for 

an  expected  occupant — but  the  erecting  of  a  temple  for 

a  coming  worshipper.     And  now  at  length  that  the 

mansion  is  finished,  the  temple  with  all  its  furniture 

completed,  the  long-looked-for  occupant  and  worshipper 

only  remains  to  be  created.. 

.531 


532  ^^^   SIXTH  DAY. 

It  Avill  be  observed,  that  in  opening  the  account  of 
man's  creation,  the  sacred  history  assumes  a  different 
and  loftier  phraseology,  and  becomes  invested  with 
peculiar  solemnity ;  thus  conveying  a  plain  intimation 
of  his  pre-eminent  distinction  above  all  that  went  be- 
fore. The  creative  fiat  now  takes  a  marked  change. 
Hitherto  it  had  been  said,  Let  there  be  light.  Let  the 
waters  be  gathered,  Let  the  earth  bring  forth,  etc. ;  but 
it  is  not  said.  Let  there  be  man.  The  Creator  himself 
is  now  described  as  coming  forth  from  his  hiding-place. 
To  denote  the  superior  nature  and  high  destiny  of  the 
being  about  to  be  formed,  the  !Elohim  is  represented  as 
proceeding  to  the  work  with  measured  deliberation,  and 
as  the  result  of  self-consultation.  And  God  said,  Let 
us  make  man  in  our  image,  after  our  likeness.  And  to 
indicate  the  direct  and  peculiar  derivation  of  the  crea- 
ture man,  he  is  described  as  formed  by  the  immediate 
hand  of  God,  and  animated  by  his  breath.  And  the 
Lord  God  formed  man  of  the  dust  of  the  ground,  and 
breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  life,  and  man  he- 
came  a  living  soul. 

The  language  used  in  this  place  is  peculiar,  and 
worthy  of  note.  "  Let  us  make  man,  in  our  image, 
after  our  likeness."  The  original  for  "  God  "  is  Elohim, 
a  plural  noun,  yet  used  with  the  verb  "  created  "  in  the 
singular.  "And  what  is  remarkable,  throughout  the 
Bible,"  says  Cummings,  "Elohim,  plural  Hebrew,  is 
used  with  a  singular  verb  " — a  fact  which  Jewish  Rab- 
bles, as  well  as  many  Christian  Divines,  regard  as  indi- 


THE  SIXTH  DAY.  633 

eating  the  great  truth  of  Turee  Persons  in  One  God- 
head. Thus  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost 
are  represented  as  united  both  in  the  creation  and  in 
the  redemption  of  man. 

"  Let  us  make  man  in  our  image,  after  our  likeness." 
This  image  and  likeness  consisted  not  in  figure  and 
lineaments  of  body,  for  God  is  a  Spirit,  and  no  material 
form  can  bear  any  similitude  to  Him.  This  image  lay 
in  the  soul,  and  consisted  in  its  capacities  to  resemble 
God  in  his  moral  attributes — in  a  mind  capable  of  true 
knowledge,  a  conscience  to  distinguish  between  right 
and  wrong,  affections  to  delight  in  holiness,  and  a  heart 
to  love  God  with  all  its  powers.  In  love  was  this  im- 
age perfected,  for  God  is  Love. 

"And  let  them  have  dominion."  This  power  or 
dominion  was  given  to  man  on  the  ground  of  his  pre- 
eminence, or  because  he  intellectually  and  morally  bore 
the  imasre  of  God.  In  virtue  of  this  delegated  authof- 
ity  or  dominion,  it  is  probable  that  Adam's  control  over 
the  animal  creation  was  much  more  comj^lete  before 
the  fall,  than  it  has  been  since  among  his  descendants. 
Prof.  Bush,  in  his  notes,  supposes  that  "  in  consequence 
of  Adam's  transgression,  this  lordship  was  in  a  great 
measure  forfeited,  and  Ids  rebellion  against  God  pun- 
ished by  the  rebellion  of  the  creatures  against  himself." 

"  Male  and  female  created  He  them."  This  expression 
is  anticipatory  of  the  next  chapter,  and  simply  signifies 
that  the  race  of  man  was  to  be  constituted  male  and 
female. 


534  THE   SIXTH  DAY. 

"  And  God  Uessed  them," — that  is,  gave  them  power 
to  propagate  and  multiply  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. 
In  virtue  of  this  blessing  of  fecundity,  the  earth  has 
been  replenished  with  inhabitants  through  all  the  ages. 
"  Of  this  one  blood  God  hath  made  all  nations  of  men 
to  dwell  upon  the  face  of  the  whole  earth."  Its  present 
population  is  estimated  at  1,200,000,000.  And  it  has 
been  computed  that  the  total  number  of  human  beings 
that  have  existed  upon  our  globe  since  the  creation 
amounts  to  no  less  than  36,627,843,275,000,000.  Ex- 
actness, of  course,  in  such  a  calculation,  is  not  to  be 
obtained  or  expected,  and  the  above  figures  can  be 
regarded  only  as  an  approximation  to  the  truth.  Still, 
they  serve  as  a  striking  illustration  of  the  propagating 
blessing  bestowed  upon  man  at  his  creation. 

"  Behold  I  have  given  you  every  herb  bearing  seed," 
— that  is,  all  the  cereal  plants,  such  as  wheat,  corn,  rye, 
etc.,  whose  peculiar  distinction  and  characteristic  it  is 
to  produce  seed ;  "  and  every  tree  in  the  which  is  the 
fruit  of  a  tree  yielding  seed ;  to  you  it  shall  be  for  meat." 
In  these  words,  God  assigns,  and  points  out  to  the 
newl3'--created  man,  the  food  most  suitable  for  him.  It 
was  plainly  intended  that  he  should  subsist  on  vegeta- 
ble food — herbs,  grains,  and  fruits.  These  only  were 
allowed  to  and  used  by  man  in  his  first  estate.  This 
abstinence  from  animal  food  is  preserved  in  the  tradi- 
tions of  all  nations,  as  one  of  the  characteristics  of  their 
golden  age,  or  the  age  of  innocence. 

"And  to  every  beast  of  the  earth,  and  to  every  fowl 


THE   SIXTH  DAY.  535 

of  the  air,  and  to  every  creeping  thing  that  creepeth 
upon  tlie  enrth,  wherein  there  is  hfo,  T  liave  given 
every  green  herb  for  meat," — that  is,  all  grasses  and 
succulent  plants,  -whose  luitritious  qualities  reside 
chiefly  in  the  stems  and  foliage.  Through  all  the 
generations  and  varieties  of  animals,  from  the  ponder- 
ous elephant  to  the  invisible  mite,  no  living  thing  can 
subsist  without  food.  And  we  see  the  goodness  of 
God,  in  making  suitable  and  ample  provision  to  meet 
the  wants  of  all,  ere  He  formed  and  called  them  into 
existence.  And  unto  this  day,  it  is  strictly  true, 
"  These  all  wait  upon  Thee,  that  Thou  mayest  give 
them  their  meat  in  due  season.  That  Thou  givest 
them  they  gather ;  Thou  openest  Thine  hand,  and  they 
are  filled  with  good." 

"And  God  saw  every  thuig  that  He  had  made,  and, 
behold,  it  was  very  good."  This  is  the  Divine  testi- 
mony respecting  the  works  of  creation,  when  all  was 
finished.  All  was  good,  supremely  good,  and  only 
good.  Whatever  of  evil  or  disorder  there  may  be  now 
in  the  world,  these  formed  no  part  of  the  original  plan 
and  work  of  God,  but  have  been  introduced  in  conse- 
quence of  man's  transgression. 


r 


536  THE   SIXTH  DAY. 

MAN. 

In  the  image  of  God  created  He  him. 

HIS   BODILY   FRAME 

Man  is  the  crowning  work  of  creation,  both  as  to  his 
bodily  organization  and  mental  endowments.  Physi- 
ologists have  pointed  out  numerous  particulars  in  which 
man  differs  from,  and  surpasses,  the  highest  and  most 
perfect  of  all  terrestrial  animals.  The  first  and  most 
obvious  of  these  distinctions  is  his  erect  j)osture.  Man 
is  made  to  walk  uprightly,  and  "  he  presents  the  only 
instance  among  Mammalia  of  a  conformation  by  which 
the  erect  posture  can  be  permanently  maintained,  and 
in  which  the  office  of  supporting  the  trunk  of  the  body 
is  confined  exclusively  to  the  lower  extremities."  This 
is  the  natural  position  for  him,  and  the  best  suited  to 
his  organization  and  habits.  He  could  not,  even  if  he 
wished,  go  for  any  length  of  time  on  all-fours ;  for  in 
that  position,  the  action  of  the  heart,  and  consequently 
the  whole  circulation  of  the  blood,  would  become 
deranged;  the  head,  sustained  as  it  is  by  a  small 
and  slender  muscle,  would  drop;  the  eyes  would 
become  fixed  on  the  ground,  and  of  little  use;  and 
the  movements  of  the  whole  frame  would  become  slow 
and  difficult,  and  ludicrously  grotesque.  On  the  other 
hand,  in  his  vertical  attitude,  man  presents  a  sym- 
metrical and  commanding  form ;  his  movements  all  are 
easy  and  natural ;  the  head  sits  lightly  and  gracefully 


\'- 


THE   SIXTH   DAY.  537 

upon  the  shoulders,  the  expressive  features  of  the 
countenance  are  disphiyed,  the  eyes  have  a  wide  and 
uninterrupted  sphere  of  vision,  and,  altogether,  he 
displays  a  beauty  of  figure,  and  nobleness  of  aspect, 
that  stamp  him  as  the  lord  and  master  of  this  lower 
creation.  Well,  therefore,  might  Cicero  have  ex- 
claimed, "  How  man})-  excellences  has  God  bestowed  on 
mankind !  He  has  raised  them  from  the  ground,  and 
made  them  lofty  and  erect,  that,  with  an  eye  directed 
to  heaven,  they  might  aspire  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
Divine  character." 

Throughout  the  domain  of  animated  nature,  not  a 
living  thing  can  be  found  that  comes  near  the  creature 
Tnan  in  external  symmetry  or  beauty  of  features. 
Nothing,  merely  animal,  resembles  the  varied  expres- 
sion of  the  human  eye ;  nothing  approaches  the  charm 
of  the  human  smile ;  nothing  can  be  compared  to  the 
expressive  features  of  his  intellectual  countenance. 

Another  point  of  high  superiority  in  the  human 
frame  over  all  other  beings  is  his  Shin.  The  com- 
plexion, the  delicacy,  and  the  softness  of  this  are 
without  a  parallel  in  the  animal  kingdom.  But  ajDart 
from  all  that  delights  the  eye,  the  taste,  and  the  touch, 
the  skin,  through  its  exquisite  ner^^ous  sensibility,  is  a 
medium  of  great  and  important  mental  advantages. 
To  it  we  owe  a  large  portion  of  our  sensations  and 
ideas.  It  constitutes  a  channel  of  ceaseless  communi- 
cation between  the  indwellinc''  mind  and  material  thinirs 
without.     A  fine  nervous  expansion,  proceeding  from 


538  THE   SIXTH  DAY. 

the  brain,  is  most  admirably  spread  over  the  outside  of 
our  bodies,  immediately  under  the  cuticle,  which  is 
ever  alive  to  every  external  impression,  whether  of 
pleasure  or  of  pain;  and  these  impressions  are  often 
closely  connected  with  our  moral  feelings,  and  with  our 
best  sympathies.  "  No  small  portion  of  the  tenderness 
of  our  nature,  and  of  our  compassionate  benevolences," 
says  Sharon  Turner,  "  are  related  to  the  skin.  With 
the  hide  of  a  rhinoceros,  or  the  wool  of  a  sheep,  or  the 
shaggy  coat  of  a  bear,  we  should  not  possess  the 
feelings  of  a  human  heart,  nor  the  intellectual  sensi- 
bilit}^  of  a  cultivated  mind.  A  comparative  stupidity, 
hardness  of  nature,  insensibility,  roughness,  cruelty,  or 
savage  humor,  would  characterize  us  in  such  a  trans- 
formation, as  corresponding  qualities  accompany  other 
creatures,  according  as  their  outside  habilament  differs 
from  our  beautiful  exterior." 

The  chief  and  distinguishing  superiority  in  the 
human  frame  is  the  Hand.  The  hand  belongs  to  man 
exclusively.  The  same  system,  essentially,  of  bones 
and  muscles  that  constitute  his  arm  and  hand  belongs, 
indeed,  to  the  higher  division  of  the  animal  kingdom — 
Animalia  vertebrata — which  includes  the  whole  chain 
of  beings  from  man  to  fishes.  But  in  these,  those 
bones  and  muscles  are  modified  and  developed  to  suit 
the  nature  and  circumstances  of  each  particular  race ; 
in  the  fish,  they  are  fashioned  and  adjusted  to  form  a 
Jin ;  in  the  bird,  a  icing ;  in  the  lion,  a  paw ;  in  the 
horse,  a  compact  foot  encased  in  a  Jtoof.     Admirable, 


THE    SIXTH  DAY.  539 

indeed,  are  all  these  in  their  adaptations  to  the  wants 
of  their  several  owners ;  but  had  this  system  of  parts, 
this  limb,  attained  no  better  or  more  perfect  form  than 
either  of  these  in  man,  where  had  been  his  present 
elevation?  where  his  arts,  his  science,  his  supremacy? 
In  that  case,  as  Galen,  centuries  ago,  observed,  "  he 
would  no  longer  work  as  an  artificer,  nor  protect 
himself  with  a  breastplate,  nor  fashion  a  sword  or 
spear,  nor  invent  a  bridle  to  mount  the  horse  and  hunt 
the  lion.  Neither  could  he  follow  the  arts  of  peace, 
construct  the  pipe  and  lyre,  build  houses,  erect  altars, 
inscribe  laws,  and  through  letters  hold  communion 
with  the  wisdom  of  antiquity."  The  armed  fore- 
extremities  of  a  variety  of  animals  give  them  great 
advantages;  but  these  advantages  all,  and  far  more, 
are  secured  to  man  in  a  Hand,  with  reason  to  use  it. 
"  The  human  hand  is  so  beautifully  formed,"  says  Sir 
Charles  Bell,  "it  has  so  fine  a  sensibility,  that  sensi- 
bility governs  its  motions  so  correctly,  every  effort  of 
the  will  is  answered  so  instantly,  as  if  the  hand  itself 
were  the  seat  of  that  will ;  its  actions  are  so  powerful, 
so  free,  and  yet  so  delicate,  that  it  seems  to  possess  a 
quality  instinct  in  itself,  and  there  is  no  thought  of  its 
complexity  as  an  instrument,  or  of  the  relations  which 
make  it  subservient  to  the  mind;  we  use  it  as  we 
draw  our  breath,  unconsciously;  its  very  perfection 
makes  us  insensible  to  its  use."  The  arm  and  hand, 
considered  in  their  mechanism  alone,  are  structures  of 
unrivaled   excellence;    and,  when  viewed   in  relation 


540  THE   SIXTH  DAY. 

to  the  intellectual  energies,  to  which  tliej  are  subservi- 
ent, plainly  reveal  to  us  the  Divine  Source,  from  which 
have  emanated  this  exquisite  workmanship  and  these 
admirable  adjustments,  so  fitted  to  excite  in  our  breast 
the  deepest  veneration,  and  to  fill  us  with  never-ceasing 
wonder  and  gratitude. 

Man  stands  at  the  summit  of  the  animal  pyramid. 
He  not  only  combines  in  himself  the  excellences  of  all 
the  higher  order  of  animal  organizations,  but  those  ex- 
cellences in  a  far  higher  degree.  Man  seems  to  have 
been  the  archetype  set  before  the  Creator's  mind  from 
the  daw^n  of  vertebrated  existences,  and  toward  which 
He  thought  fit  to  work  upward  through  the  vast  pre- 
Adamite  periods,  producing  in  tribe  after  tribe  a  higher 
and  still  higher  degree  of  symmetry  and  perfection,  till 
man,  tlie  master-piece,  was  brought  forth.  "  From  the 
past  history  of  our  globe,"  says  Prof.  Owen,  "  we  learu 
that  Nature  has  advanced  with  slow  and  stately  steps, 
guided  by  the  archetypal  light  amid  the  wreck  of 
worlds,  from  the  first  embodiment  of  the  vertebrate  idea, 
under  its  old  ichthyic  vestment,  until  it  became  ar- 
ranged in  the  glorious  garb  of  the  human  form." 

In  the  139th  Psalm,  the  formation  of  the  human 
body  is  described  under  the  metaphor  of  a  piece  of 
beautiful  embroidery — "  When  I  was  formed  in  secret ; 
when  I  was  wrought  as  with  a  needle  in  the  lowest 
parts  of  the  earth."*  The  figure  is  equally  elegant 
and  expressive.     The  frame  upon  which  this  living 

Lowth's  Translation. 


TU1-:    SIXTH   DAY.  541 

embroidery  is  wrought,  is  made  up  of  no  less  than  two 
hundred  and  forty- five  bones  of  various  forms  and  sizes; 
each  of  which  is  carved,  and  turned,  and  grooved  with 
exquisite  skill  to  fit  its  place,  and  perform  its  functions; 
whilst  all  are  jointed,  and  hinged,  and  bound  together 
into  one  complete  and  marvellous  skeleton.  To  these 
bones,  and  to  other  parts  of  the  system,  are  attached, 
for  the  purpose  of  motion,  over  five  hundred  muscles, 
some  large  and  strong,  some  diminutive  and  of  the  u1> 
most  delicacy,  some  obeying  the  mandates  of  the  will, 
and  some  acting  spontaneously.  These  muscles  are 
often  so  closel}'  contiguous  to  one  another  that  they  are 
found  in  layers,  as  it  were,  over  one  another,  crossing 
one  another,  sometimes  imbedded  in  one  anotlier,  some- 
times perforating  one  another ;  yet  all  so  perfectly  ar- 
ranged that  they  never  obstruct  one  another,  or  in  any- 
wise interfere.  Within  the  frame-work,  and  protected 
on  every  side,  are  planted  the  essential  organs  of  life — 
the  Brain,  the  Heart,  and  the  Lungs — all  in  unceasing 
action  from  the  beginning  of  life  to  its  close.  Enclosed 
within  the  sj^stem  are  also  those  of  digestion,  and  nutri- 
tion ;  the  stomach  with  its  gastric  chemistry,  and  the 
bowels  with  their  myriads  of  lacteals  collecting  nutri- 
ment. Through  the  whole  body  runs  a  perfect  network 
of  veins,  arteries,  and  nerves,  each  dividing  into  count- 
less ramifications,  penetrating  every  part,  and  diff'using 
life  and  sensibility  throughout  the  entire  frame.  Over 
many  of  the  internal  parts  and  delicate  organs  are 
woven  membranous  veils,  or  vital  tracery,  too  marvel- 


^   1 


542  THE    SIXTH   DAY. 

lous  for  description;  while  externally  the  whole  is 
mantled  from  head  to  foot  with  a  threefold  skin,  per- 
forated with  its  millions  on  millions  of  pores  for  the 
purpose  of  perspiration. 

So  finely  articulated  are  the  various  members,  and 
so  close  the  connection,  and  so  perfect  the  harmony,  of 
the  muscular  and  nervous  systems  that,  every  joint  is 
instantly  ready  for  any  movement  or  action  that  the 
mind  may  require.  Of  all  this  we  have  notable  exam- 
ples in  the  act  of  writing,  and  in  that  of  executing  a 
piece  of  music  on  the  piano ;  in  either  of  these  perform- 
ances, how  numerous  the  muscles  brought  into  play, 
and  yet  how  happily  measured,  how  definite  and  per- 
fect and  rapid  their  action !  But  if  the  voluntary 
operations  of  man  excite  wonder,  those  that  are 
involuntary,  and  carried  on  without  conscious  effort 
or  care  on  his  part,  ought,  assuredly,  to  awaken  his 
profoundest  gratitude  and  devotion,  especially  when  he 
remembers  that  these  are  indispensable  to  his  life. 
The  heart  ceaselessly  expands  and  contracts,  the  lungs 
play,  the  stomach  digests,  the  glands  secrete ;  and  all 
this  surprising  mechanism  and  chemistry  proceed  with 
such  quietness,  and  are  so  self-sustained,  that  neither 
does  sleep  stop  them,  nor  is  our  repose  disturbed  by 
them.  If  these  vital  operations  had  been  dependent  on 
the  superintendence  of  the  mind,  man's  attention  could 
not  have  been  diverted  from  them  for  a  minute ;  all 
his  care  must  have  been  concentrated  on  the  working 
of  his  bodily  organs,  and  all  his  care  would  still  have 


THE  SIXTH  DAY.  543 

been  insufficient ;  for  a  doubt,  a  moment's  hesitation,  a 
forgetfulness  of  a  single  action  at  its  appointed  time, 
would  have  terminated  his  existence.  His  life  in  such 
a  case  would  have  been  most  precarious,  and  most 
unhappy, — every  breath  would  have  been  drawn  with 
fear,  and  every  pulsation  would  have  been  attended 
with  painful  anxiety.  Here,  then,  we  behold  the 
wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  in  thus  Himself  holding 
our  souls  in  life. 

"  What  a  miracle  of  creation  is  man  !  How  fearfully 
and  wonderfully  made — a  monument  reared  by  Infinite 
Wisdom — a  prodigy  of  parts !  Could  the  unrivalled 
mechanism  of  man  be  unveiled,  or  its  thousand  move- 
ments be  seen  through  a  transparent  medium,  what  a 
scene  for  contemplation,  wonder,  and  astonishment; 
and  what  a  medium  for  adoration  of  the  Great  and 
Eternal  Creator,  who  made  and  adjusted  the  mechanism, 
and  put  all  its  parts  and  powers  in  motion ! 

"  What  a  vision  it  would  be  to  see  the  ganglia 
shooting  their  electric  influences  along  the  lines  of  the 
nerves — the  pneumatic  machinery  of  the  lungs  dis- 
charging the  envenomed  air,  and  receiving  in  exchange 
a  supply  of  a  pure  medium !  The  pause  and  interval 
in  respiration,  to  divide  the  gases  agreeably  to  their 
relative  specific  gravities.  The  hydraulic  engine  of 
the  heart  propelling  the  vital  fluid  of  the  blood ;  its 
contractions  and  dilatations ;  the  flapping  of  the  mitral, 
semilunar  and  tricuspid  valves,  acting  like  the  valves 
of  a  steam  engine ;  the  vibrations  of  the  muscles ;  the 


544  THE   SIXTH  DAY. 

pulling  of  the  cordage  of  the  tendons ;  the  synovial  ov 
lubricating  secretions  of  the  joints,  and  their  balls,  and 
their  sockets;  the  chronometry  of  the  pulse,  and  the 
calorimeter  which  measures  out  heat  to  the  system, 
and  apportions  its  quantity  according  to  circumstances, 
— a  principle  of  compensation  to  equalize  the  temper- 
ature, and  preserve  an  equilibrium  under  all  changes 
and  every  variability.  The  absorbing  vessels  sucking 
up  the  several  assimilated  materials  with  a  skilful 
selection,  and  with  rare  discrimination  appropriating 
all ;  the  functions  of  the  skin  cooling  the  surface  when 
required,  and  the  orifices  acting  as  the  waste  pipes  also 
of  the  system.  The  optical  wonders  of  that  perfect 
achromatic  instrument,  the  eye;  its  window,  and  its 
curious  curtain,  and  its  lens,  and  the  media  in  contact 
with  it ;  its  reticular  canvass  in  the  back-ground  of  a 
camera  obscura,  with  all  its  microscopic  and  telescopic 
furniture.  The  acoustic  paraphernalia  of  the  ear,  with 
its  hammer,  its  stirrup,  and  its  drum,  and  its  chambers, 
and  its  beautifully  convoluted  recesses.  The  move- 
ments of  the  brain  and  its  membranes — the  secreting 
and  assimilating  organs  engaged  in  recruiting  the 
waste,  and  rearing  the  goodly  structure ;  the  sensitive, 
irritable,  and  jealous  epiglottis,  guarding,  like  a  faithful 
sentinel,  the  viaduct  of  the  trachea;  the  refined  sensi- 
bility of  the  papillaB  and  fibrilloB  of  the  tongue,  and  the 
delicate  functions  of  the  sneiderian  membrane.  These, 
and  myriads  more  of  secreting  and  assimilating  organs, 
with    the   secretions   of   the   kidneys,   mammae,   gall- 


THE  SIXTH  DAY.  545 

bladder,  salivary  glands ;  pancreas,  conglobated  glands 
and  lacteals,  may  well  demand  our  wonder  and  admira- 
tion. What  a  miracle  of  skill  and  complication,  and 
yet  how  calm  and  unobtrusive  their  harmony !  All 
that  is  beautiful  in  design,  and  wonderful  in  the 
adaptation  of  parts,  with  their  mutual  aptitudes,  are 
here  concentrated  in  one  luminous  focus  of  Almighty 
Wisdom." — Murray  s  Truth  of  Rccelatioii  Demonstrated, 
p.  32. 

Another  fact  that  heightens  unspeakably  our  admira- 
tion of  the  human  body  is  the  method  in  which  it  is 
kept  in  repair.  While  all  the  above  complicated 
machinery  is  in  full  operation,  its  every  member,  every 
organ,  everj'^  vessel,  every  fibre,  is  removed  and  replaced 
by  another  and  a  new  one,  without  occasioning  one 
moment's  interruption  of  its  movements.  This  is 
effected  through  the  processes  of  nutrition  and  assimi- 
lation. Old  and  worn-out  particles  of  the  system  are 
being  continually  carried  away  by  perspiration,  respira- 
tion, etc. ;  and  these  are  constantly  replaced  by  new 
particles  derived  from  the  food  we  eat  and  the  air  we 
inhale.  Thus  the  whole  fabric  is  dissipated  probably 
in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  certainl}^  in  a  very  few 
years ;  so  that  our  present  frames  are  no  more  identical 
with  the  frames  of  our  earl}^  youth,  than  they  are  with 
those  of  our  grandfathers.  The  houses  we  inhabit,  so 
to  speak,  are  pulled  down  stone  by  stone,  and  yet 
rebuilt  as  fast  as  they  are  destro^'cd ;  all  their  furniture 
and  fixtures  are  severally  removed  and  replaced,  par- 

35 


546  THE  SIXTH  DAY. 

tide  by  particle.  The  whole  of  each  edifice  is  recon- 
structed in  the  course  of  a  brief  period,  and  yet  no  eye 
can  follow  the  process,  or  detect  any  organic  change  in 
the  architecture  of  the  pile.  Though  the  vital  artificers 
are  constantly  at  work,  their  operations  are  wholly 
unfelt;  we  are  never  conscious  of  the  separation  of 
particles,  or  of  the  substitution  of  others.  And  still 
more  striking  is  the  fact  that,  the  very  organs  that 
are  kept  in  constant  activity  are  themselves  silently 
renewed  without  interrupting  their  functions  for  an 
instant.  The  whole  substance  of  the  lungs  is  removed 
and  replaced  without  the  suspension  of  a  breath.  The 
heart  is  reproduced  out  of  our  food  without  losing  a 
single  beat,  and  without  spilling  a  drop  of  blood.  The 
eye  is  taken  to  pieces,  time  after  time,  and  the  windows 
of  vision  regiazed,  without  disturbing  our  sight  for  a 
moment,  or  obscuring  the  minutest  object  at  which  we 
may  desire  to  look.  And  new  stomachs  are  repeatedly 
inserted  in  our  bodies,  without  our  ever  being  compelled 
to  stop  eating  and  suspend  digestion  until  the  appa- 
ratus can  be  properly  replaced.  That  the  human 
body,  with  all  its  inward  motions  and  outward  activity, 
should  be  disintegrated,  removed,  and  rebuilt,  in  this 
manner,  is  surely  as  great  a  marvel  as  if  a  manufactory 
with  all  its  hundreds  of  wheels,  scores  of  looms,  and 
thousands  of  spindles,  should  be  renewed  from  top  to 
bottom,  from  year  to  year,  without  once  turning  off 
the  steam  of  the  engine,  or  slackening  the  speed  of  a 
wheel,  or  interrupting  the  flight  of  a  shuttle,  or  even 


THE    SIXTH   DAY.  547 

attracting  for  once  the  attention  of  an  operative.  Here, 
then,  assuredly,  every  retiecting  and  thoughtful  man 
must  lift  up  his  heart  and  voice  with  the  pious  Psalm- 
ist, and  say,  "  0  Lord,  I  will  praise  Thee,  for  I  am 
fearfully  and  wonderfully  made." 

HIS   INTELLECTUAL   POWERS. 

The  foregoing  bodily  structure,  wonderful  as  it  is,  is 
but  the  tent  of  an  invisible  tenant,  the  Spirit  given  by 
the  inspiration  of  the  Creator ;  and  all  its  marvellous 
parts  and  organisms  are  but  the  tools  and  instruments 
provided  for  the  use  of  that  spirit.  In  the  employment 
of  this  immortal  mind  all  this  sensitive  apparatus  finds 
its  appropriate  use,  and  its  highest  end  fulfilled.  All 
the  marvels  of  its  intricate  and  beautiful  mechanism 
are  of  value  only  in  the  service  of  the  soul.  As  he, 
therefore,  who  occupies  the  house  is  more  honorable 
than  the  house,  so  this  spirit  of  man  is  of  a  far  nobler 
nature,  and  presents  infinitely  loftier  displays  of  crea- 
tive wisdom  and  power,  than  the  body  which  it 
inhabits. 

In  man,  the  mind  or  spirit  is  the  seat  of  the 
intellectual  faculties;  and  the  special  dwelling  place 
of  that  mind  is  the  brain.  Here,  in  the  silent  recesses 
of  the  brow,  it  holds  its  court,  and  maintains  in  cease- 
less activity  all  the  noble  and  marvellous  powers  of  its 
being ; — here  it  employs  its  ever-active  Reflection ;  here 
Reason  conducts  its  labored  processes;  here  Memory 
lays  up  its  treasures  of  observation  and  experience; 


548  THE    SIXTH   DAY. 

here  Imagination  spreads  her  airy  wings,  and  Genius 
creates  her  teeming  wonders.  From  beneath  the  dome 
of  this  sacred  temple  the  immortal  spirit  looks  up, 
adoring,  to  the  Great  and  Glorious  God,  from  whom  it 
has  proceeded,  and  to  whom  it  shall  return. 

From  the  brain,  the  Mind's  habitation,  proceed 
nerves  to  every  organ,  and  to  every  portion  of  the 
system ;  these  nerves  are  found  to  be  double,  or  com- 
posed of  two  threads  closely  wrapped  together;  along 
the  one,  as  by  telegraphic  wire,  the  mind  sends  forth 
its  commands  of  motion  to  every  member  and  muscle ; 
and  along  the  other  are  conveyed  back  to  the  mind,  in 
a  similar  manner,  the  impressions,  pleasant  or  painful, 
received  by  any  and  all  the  organs  and  parts  of  the 
body.  Thus  the  indwelling  spirit  is  placed  in  sensible 
and  perceptible  communication  with  the  external  world. 
Through  the  avenues  of  the  five  senses  it  becomes 
acquainted  with  whatever  has  form,  weight,  color,  taste, 
or  smell.  From  these  external  objects,  singly  or  in 
combination,  the  mind  is  continually  taking  impres- 
sions, and  exercises  upon  them  its  comparing  and 
reasoning  powers,  and  thence  deduces  its  ideas  of 
unity  and  number;  of  time  and  space;  of  order,  pro- 
portion, and  similitude ;  of  truth,  wisdom,  power, 
obligation,  succession,  cause,  effect,  etc.  Thus  the 
indwelling  mind  proceeds  in  its  observation  from  object 
to  object,  and  scene  to  scene ;  and  by  comparison, 
analysis,  and  combination  of  these,  ever  advances  to 
new  ideas,  new  inferences,  and  new  conclusions.    "  The 


THE    SIXTH    DAY.  '  51  J) 

mind  has  a  class  of  powers  wliicli  thus  ehil)orate  the 
materials  or  facts  acquired  into  an  infinite  variety  of 
cognitions  and  judgments.  Nor  is  tiiere  a  greater 
difference  between  the  Hax  in  its  raw  state,  and  the 
fine  linen  of  exquisite  pattern  constructed  from  it ; 
between  the  stone  when  taken  from  the  quarry,  and 
the  marble  statue  into  which  it  is  wrought, — than 
there  is  between  man's  primary  knowledge  through 
the  senses  and  the  consciousness,  and  those  lofty  com- 
parisons, and  refined  abstractions,  and  linked  ratio- 
cinations, which  he  is  able  to  construct  by  his  higher 
intellectual  faculties."  '^ 

All  this  mental  activity,  however,  would  avail  but 
little,  if  the  mind  did  not  possess  the  power  of  retaining 
the  acquisitions  thus  made ;  for,  in  that  case,  former 
impressions  would  perpetually  yield  to  those  coming 
after,  and  be  thereby  as  rapidly  effaced  as  acquired. 
Increase  in  knowledge  and  wisdom  would  be  impos- 
sible. Hence  the  Creator  has  furnished  the  human 
mind  with  the  all-important  faculty  of  Memory,  or  the 
power  of  retaining  thoughts  and  impressions  once 
gained.  To  this  faculty  belong  two  things  desemng 
equally  our  admiration  and  gratitude. 

The  simple  power  of  retaining  impressions  was  not 
sufficient ;  the  welfare  of  man  required  that  it  should 
be  the  power  of  preserving  them  beyond  the  immediate 
sphere  of  conscioiisness — of  storing  them  atvay,  as  it 
were,   within   a   secret   repository.      This   is    a   most 

*  McCosh. 


550  THE  SIXTH  DAY. 

important  feature  of  Memory.  If  all  thoughts  and 
impressions  gained  were  ever  consciously  present  in 
the  mind,  ever  pressing  equally  upon  its  attention,  it 
would  soon  become  utterly  oppressed,  and  incapable  of 
close  reasoning,  or  fixed  study,  on  any  one  particular 
subject.  Consciousness  would  sink,  and  mental  energy 
perish,  under  the  accumulating  burden.  The  power 
of  storing  away  ideas  gained  beyond  the  sphere  of 
consciousness  is,  therefore,  a  most  wise  and  imjDortant 
provision. 

Equally  admirable  and  important  is  the  power  by 
which  we  can  reproduce,  or  call  up  from  this  treasury, 
facts  and  truths  as  we  need  them.  This  power  is 
properly  called  Recollection.  But  for  this,  the  stores  of 
memory  would  have  remained  irrevocably  beyond  the 
sphere  of  consciousness,  and  might  as  well  have  never 
been  laid  up  there.  But  now,  though  they  may  lie 
dormant  and  latent  there  for  months  and  years,  they 
can,  with  greater  or  less  facility,  be  quickened  into 
living  knowledge,  and  thus  past  experience  be  applied 
to  present  pursuits.  And  how  admirable  the  laws  of 
association,  by  which  recollection  is  aided  in  bringing 
again  before  us  the  knowledge  formerly  acquired,  at 
the  very  time  when  it  is  most  profitable  that  it  should 
return.  A  value  is  thus  given  to  experience,  which 
otherwise  would  not  be  worthy  of  the  name. 

To  appreciate  these  arrangements  of  our  mental 
constitution,  and  to  see  the  Divine  wisdom  and  good- 
ness in  them,  we  need  but  reflect  for  a  moment  what 


THE   SIXTH  DAY.  551 

manner  of  beings  we  should  be  if  devoid  of  memory 
and  recollection.     Without   these  we  should  be  ever 
learning,  and  yet  remain  equally  ignorant.     An  object, 
or  a  truth,  brought  before  us  for  the  hundredth  time, 
would  be  as  new  and  strange  to  us  as  if  it  had  never 
before    engaged   our  attention.     We   had   need  every 
morning    of  a   new  introduction    to    our   nearest    and 
most  familiar  friends.     The  advantages  of  practice  or 
experience  would  fade  away  as  rapidly  as   achieved. 
In  short,  imagination  cannot  picture  all  the  evils  and 
disabilities  of  man  destitute  of  memory.     Life  would 
be  mere  inanity;    existence  would   not  be  desirable. 
It  is  the  power  of  preserving  and  reproducing  scenes 
and  thoughts  and  feelings  which  have  passed  away, 
that  gives  value  to  all  our  other  powers  and  suscepti- 
bilities, intellectual  and  moral;  all  science  is  its  pro- 
duct, and  life  owes  to  it  all  its  interests  and  joys.     Its 
incessant   operation   from  infancy,  treasuring   up  the 
fair  images  of  parents,   brothers  and  sisters,  and   all 
their  offices  of  affection  and  kindness,  constitutes  the 
bond  that  holds  together  families  and  friends.     Every 
talent  by  which  we  excel,  every  vivid  feeling  by  which 
we  are  animated,  owes  its  force  and  existence  to  this 
faculty.     We  love  and   hate,  we  desire  and  fear,  we 
seek  what  is  good  and  avoid  what  is  evil,  because  we 
remember  the  character,  the  tendency,  or  the  properties 
of  like   objects   and   occurrences  which   we   formerly 
observed.     By  memory  we  live  the  past  over  again; 
and  in  bestowing   this  gift  upon  us,  God  hath  more 
than  doubled  our  existence. 


552  THE    SIXTH  DAY. 

There  is  another  feature  of  memory  that  specially 
demands  our  notice.  It  was  the  opinion  of  Lord  Bacon 
that  nothing  is  entirely  lost  from  the  memory  which 
has  once  been  given  to  its  charge,  but  virtually  exists, 
and  may,  under  certain  circumstances,  be  restored  in 
all  its  original  vividness.  Many  other  able  writers 
think  the  same.  There  are  numerous  well-attested 
facts  that  go  far  to  support  this  opinion,  and,  perhaps, 
something  in  every  individual's  experience.  To  illus- 
trate this — We  may  have  spent  a  season  in  a  certain 
locality,  and  then  left  it.  Years  many  have  rolled 
away  since;  new  scenes  and  situations  have  occupied 
us ;  all  Ave  saw  and  felt  and  experienced  there,  appear 
wholly  lost  in  the  darkness  of  oblivion.  All  these 
years  not  a  trace  occurs  to  the  mind.  But  suddenly 
some  unexpected  event,  some  trifling  occurrence,  some 
intonation  of  voice,  or  some  darting  sensation  arouses 
the  soul,  and  gives  a  wholly  new  and  vigorous  turn  to 
its  meditations,  and  the  long-forgotten  locality,  with 
all  its  scenes  and  circumstances,  is  brought  at  once 
clearly  before  the  mind.  "  At  such  a  moment,  we  are 
astonished  at  the  novel  revelations  that  are  made,  the 
recollections  that  are  called  forth,  the  resurrections  of 
withered  hopes  and  perished  sorrows,  of  scenes  and 
companionships  that  seemed  to  be  utterly  lost." 

"  Lulled  in  the  countless  chambers  of  the  brain, 
Our  thoughts  are  linked  by  many  a  hidden  chain. 
Awake  but  one,  and  lo,  what  myriads  rise  ! 
Each  stamps  its  image  as  the  other  flies." 


THE  SIXTH  DAY.  553 

The  power  of  Recollection  depends  much  upon  the 
state  of  the  physical  system ;  in  certain  conditions  of 
the  brain  it  is  marvellously  quickened.  A  servant  girl 
in  Germany,  twenty-five  years  old,  who  could  neither 
read  nor  write,  in  the  paroxysms  of  a  fever,  commenced 
repeating  fluently  passages  of  Latin,  Greek,  and  He- 
brew, which  passages,  as  was  afterward  ascertained, 
she  had  only  overheard  a  clergyman  read  in  the  early 
days  of  her  childhood.  This  surprising  fact,  and  others 
like  it,  render  highly  probable  the  conclusion  of  Cole- 
ridge, "  that  all  thoughts  are,  in  themselves,  imperish- 
able." Again :  the  same  wonderful  mental  activity 
has  often  been  experienced  at  the  point  of  drowning ; 
persons  rescued  from  this  situation  have  stated  that 
their  whole  past  life,  with  its  thousand  minute  incidents, 
has  almost  simultaneously  passed  before  them,  and  been 
viewed  as  in  a  living  panorama.  Scenes  and  situations 
long  gone  by,  and  associates  not  seen  for  years,  and, 
perhaps,  buried  and  dissolved  in  the  grave,  came  rush- 
ing in  upon  the  field  of  intellectual  vision  in  all  the 
activity  and  distinctness  of  real  existence.  Have  w^e 
not,  then,  in  these  astonishing  facts  a  strong  evidence 
that  of  all  committed  to  the  keeping  of  memory, 
nothing  is  absolutely  forgotten  ?  And  are  we  not  also 
here  presented  with  a  startling  admonition  of  what 
will  take  place  with  each  of  us  at  the  last  day  ?  The 
power  of  reminiscence  may  be  enfeebled,  may  even 
slumber,  but  it  does  not  die.  At  the  judgment  day, 
we  have  reason  to  apprehend,  it  will  awake  in  irre- 


554  ^^E   SIXTH  DAY. 

pressible  energy,  and  summon  all  deeds,  all  thoughts, 
all  feelmgs,  from  their  hidden  recesses,  and  will  present 
before  us,  as  in  a  clear  mirror,  the  whole  of  life,  as 
spent  among  men  on  earth. 

In  the  present  life,  memory  gathers  and  treasures  up 
its  stores,  for  the  most  part,  for  the  service  of  the 
intellect,  and  from  them  this  faculty  educes  many  new 
ideas.  The  reasoning  power  is  the  great  fountain  of 
internal  knowledge,  and  the  main  agency  of  progress 
in  every  department  of  human  pursuit.  By  its  pene- 
trating reflections,  by  its  patient  tracing  of  cause  and 
effect,  by  its  power  of  analysis  and  combination,  by  its 
ingenious  experiments  and  rigorous  demonstrations, 
has  been  reared  the  vast  and  ever-extending  temple 
of  science  and  art.  Step  by  step,  and  link  by  link, 
the  intellect  of  man  has  carried  its  calculations  to  the 
utmost  depths  of  space  and  time.  Its  achievements, 
notwithstanding  all  the  evils  and  disadvantages  of  our 
fallen  state,  are  truly  Avonderful.  It  has  explored  and 
contemplated  every  scene  and  object  of  creation  within 
its  reach — has  sounded  the  depths  of  the  earth,  and 
counted  the  cvcles  of  its  duration — has  studied  and 
dissected  and  classified  the  m3Tiads  of  its  animal  and 
vegetable  productions — has  delved  into  the  mountains, 
and  plunged  into  the  caverns  of  our  globe,  and  inquired 
into  the  age  and  origin  of  its  rocks,  minerals,  gems  and 
fossils — has  analyzed  the  invisible  atmosphere,  arrested 
the  lightning  in  its  course,  and  dissected  the  sun-beam 
in  its  descent — has  invented  instruments  that  seize  the 


THE  SIXTH  DAY.  565 

pencil  of  light,  and  Mitli  it  depict  a  landscape,  or  paint 
a  portrait;  and  others  that  bring  distant  stars  near, 
and  make  the  moon  e\'en  a  llimiliar  neighbor;  and 
others  still  that  reveal  a  world  oi"  living  wonders  in  a 
drop  of  water,  or  an  atom  of  dust — has  contrived 
means  to  connnunicate  its  thoughts  across  seas  and 
continents  with  more  certainty  and  speed  than  if 
endowed  with  the  voice  of  thunder  and  j^rovided  with 
the  pinions  of  the  eagle — has  evoked  a  power  from  the 
limpid  water  surpassing  that  of  the  fabled  gods,  and 
set  it  to  work  machinery  that  drive  his  ships,  draw 
his  cars,  grind  his  corn,  weave  his  garments,  print  his 
books,  and  serve  him  in  a  thousand  other  ways — has, 
by  chains  of  thought,  and  flights  of  demonstration, 
ascended  the  empyrean,  and  traced  the  orbits,  weighed 
the  masses,  and  determined  the  velocities  of  revolving 
worlds ;  "  and  though  it  has  not  been  allowed  to  man 
to  grasp  with  an  arm  of  flesh  the  products  of  other 
worlds,  or  tread  upon  the  pavement  of  gigantic  planets, 
he  has  been  enabled  to  scan  with  more  than  an  eagle's 
eye,  the  mighty  creations  in  the  bosom  of  space — to 
march  intellectually  over  the  mosaics  of  sidereal  sys- 
tems, and  to  follow  the  adventurous  Phaeton  in  a 
chariot  that  can  never  be  overturned."  * 

To  the  capacity  of  the  human  mind  for  knowledge 
there  seems  to  be  hardly  a  limit.  The  progress  it 
makes  during  the  brief  period  of  life  is  often  great. 
What  a  wide  interval  between  the  mind  of  Newton  in 

*  Chalmers. 


556  THE    SIXTH  DAY. 

his  cradle,  and  his  mind  at  the  close  of  his  sublime 
career!  But  the  greatest  attainments  of  man,  here, 
afford  no  measure,  perhaps  give  but  a  faint  idea,  of 
what  he  will  be  hereafter.  As  every  accession  of 
knowledge  prepares  the  way  for  other  and  higher 
accessions,  and  as  the  memory  will  lose  nothing  of  its 
garnered  treasures,  who  can  conceive  what  man  will 
become  in  the  course  of  future  years — in  the  lapse  of 
unending  ages — in  a  state  of 'mental  vigor,  and  un- 
clouded holiness  ?  What  a  magnificent,  what  a  glorious 
prospect,  to  view  him  advancing  along  the  path  of 
immortal  existence,  ever  augmenting  in  capacity  as  he 
drinks  from  the  inexhaustible  fountain  of  knowledge 
and  wisdom,  close  by  the  throne  of  God ! 

HIS   EMOTIONAL   CONSTITUTION. 

Having  glanced  at  the  perceptive,  retentive  and 
reasoning  powers  of  man,  it  will  be  in  place  and  of 
interest  to  devote  a  moment  to  contemplate  his  Emo- 
tional nature.  This  is  a  most  important  department 
of  his  mental  endowments.  We  can  conceive  of  man 
being  created  with  all  the  foregoing  intellectual  faculties, 
yet  without  any  of  his  present  emotive  susceptibilities ; 
but  in  that  case,  he  would  o})viously  have  been  a  very 
different,  and  a  very  inferior  being,  compared  with 
what  he  now  is.  It  is  our  emotional  capacities  that 
impart  to  life  all  its  peculiar  and  ever-refreshing  in- 
terests. By  our  intellectual  faculties,  we  are  mere 
spectators  of  the  world  with  its  living  inhabitants  and 


THE  SIXTH  DA  Y.  507 

varied  wonders;  hy  our  emotional  powers,  we  are 
admirers  of  nature,  lovers  of  men,  adorers  of  God.  All 
the  progressive  springs  of  humanity  take  their  rise  in 
our  emotional  being. 

The  all-wise  and  beneficent  Creator,  therefore,  has 
constituted  us  with  a  variety  of  emotions;  with  the 
emotion  of  alarm  to  incite  from  danger — of  natural 
anger,  to  make  the  timid  brave,  the  weak  vigorous, 
and  the  old  for  the  moment  young  again,  when 
unjustly  assailed — of  complacency,  shedding  cheerful- 
ness and  sunshine  through  the  soul — of  sorrow,  dif- 
fusing its  softening  and  chastening  spirit  over  the  mind 
— of  joy,  inspiring  happiness,  rapture  and  praise— of 
humility,  to  sink  self  into  its  ap^Dropriate  obscurity — of 
love,  the  parent  of  tenderness,  sympathy,  friendship 
and  affectionate  attachment,  and  the  richest  and  the 
worthiest  outgoing  of  man's  spiritual  activity — of  taste, 
appreciating  and  delighting  in  harmony,  proportion, 
beauty  and  sublimity,  and  constituting  the  most  de- 
lightful spring  of  refinement  and  elevated  progress — 
and  of  hope,  ever  embellishing  with  bright  visions 
the  dim  future,  and  quickening  to  their  pursuit. 
Unendowed  with  these  emotions,  what  would  have 
been  the  character  and  condition  of  man  ?  How  blank 
and  unbeneficent  would  life  have  been  as  a  mere  round 
of  passionless  intellectuality.  Where  would  have  been 
all  that  now  makes  its  charm,  and  renders  it,  even 
amid  the  gathering  darkness  of  death,  still  dear? 
Where  w^ould  have  been  all  the  most  exquisite  produc- 


558  ^'^-E  SIXTH  DAY. 

tions  of  literature  and  art,  without  passion  to  portray, 
interest  to  kindle,  or  taste  to  admire?  Where  had 
been  the  endearments  of  home,  and  the  communion  of 
friends,  without  the  sweet  bonds  of  sympathy  and 
love?  In  the  bestowment,  then,  of  the  combined 
cognitive  and  emotive  activity  of  our  nature,  we  behold 
in  a  striking  light  both  the  wisdom  and  the  goodness 
of  God  toward  His  creature  man. 

HIS   MORAL   NATURE. 

Over  all  the  foregoing  powers  and  affections  of  man 
has  been  set,  both  as  judge  and  governor,  the  f(iculty 
of  Goiiscience,  or  that  mental  capacity  by  which  we 
instantly  and  irresistibly  feel  the  difference  between 
right  and  wrong.  This  is  the  crowning  faculty  in  man. 
Its  peculiar  office  is  to  arbitrate  and  direct  all  our  other 
powers  and  propensities  according  to  rectitude,  so  far 
as  that  is  apprehended  by  the  understanding.  Its  voice 
is  always  and  everywhere  distinct  and  authoritative  on 
the  side  of  truth  and  righteousness ;  hence  it  has  been, 
denominated  "the  vicegerent  of  God  in  the  soul  of 
man."  The  authority  of  conscience  is  sacred  and 
supreme;  and  it  is  empowered  to  pronounce  censure 
and  applause,  and  to  administer  rewards  and  punish- 
ments. It  follows  up  every  act  and  exercise  of  man 
with  instant  approbation  or  condemnation.  If  its 
dictates  are  cheerfully  and  implicitly  obeyed,  it  bestows 
in  reward  the  pleasure  of  inward  complacency  and 
self-approbation;    but   if  its    impulses  are  resisted  or 


THE  SIXTH  DAY.  559 

disregarded,  it  inllicts  the  pain  of  a  sense  of  guilt,  or 
the  feeling  of  remorse. 

Though  the  authority  of  conscience  is  supreme,  its 
jpower  is  not.  The  perverse  force  of  the  will  may 
resist  its  commands,  and  the  clamor  and  turbulence  of 
passion  may  drown  its  voice ;  no  amount  of  violence, 
however,  can  banish  it  from  its  seat  in  the  soul.  It 
will  still  hold  the  transgressor  in  its  grasp,  and,  sooner 
or  later,  will  bring  him  trembling  before  its  judgment 
seat,  even  when  he  would  seem  to  have  broken  loose 
from  all  its  restraints,  and  completely  overborne  its 
power.  Eventually  it  will  assert  its  sovereignty  with 
a  fearful  potency,  even  though  its  throne  may  have 
been  invaded,  and  its  sceptre  for  a  season  smitten  to 
the  ground.  Nor  can  the  offender  escape  its  retri- 
bution ;  let  him  efface  every  visible  stain  of  his  guilt, 
and  let  him  flee  from  the  scene  of  his  crimes,  it  will 
still  go  with  him,  and  lay  upon  him  its  direful  scourge 
at  the  distance  of  half  the  globe. 

The  existence  of  conscience  within  us,  it  has  been 
observed,  is  an  evidence  for  the  righteousness  of  God, 
which  keeps  its  ground  amid  all  the  disorders  and 
aberrations  to  which  human  nature  is  liable.  For,  as 
the  existence  of  a  regulator  in  a  disordered  watch 
shows  the  design  of  its  maker  that  its  movements 
should  harmonize  with  time,  so  conscience  shows  the 
design  of  our  Creator  that  all  our  movements  should 
harmonize  with  truth  and  righteousness. 

It  is  conscience  that  gives  to  man  his  moral  worth 


560  THE  SIXTH  DAY. 

and  dignity ;  and  it  is  this  that  bestows  upon  human 
life  all  its  sacredness  and  moral  beauty.  "Apart  from 
this,"  says  Tulloch,  "  man  would  have  been  but  little 
above  the  brutes  around  him,  having  no  nobleness  of 
piety  in  his  heart,  and  no  long-suffering  love  mingling 
its  purifying  fires  in  his  lot.  Conscience  is  a  revelation 
of  the  Supreme  God  in  man.  And  it  brings  man  not 
only  into  converse  with  goodness,  but  relates  him  to  it, 
as  the  power  which  binds  him  in  his  daily  life,  and 
would  guide  him  to  daily  happiness." 

All  the  faculties  and  affections  now  surveyed  belong 
to,  and  reside  in,  the  mind  or  immortal  spirit  of  man. 
And  in  the  first  created  man,  as  he  came  out  of  his 
Maker's  hand,  all  were  pure,  perfect,  and  harmonious. 
Adam,  as  he  first  stood  before  his  Creator,  was  a 
perfect  man — perfect  physically,  mentally,  and  morally. 
Sense,  intellect,  affections  and  conscience  were  all  in 
their  right  proportions,  and  in  their  due  subordination ; 
none  deficient,  none  in  excess.  His  was  a  perfectly 
sound  mind  in  a  perfectly  sound  body.  Every  emotion, 
passion,  and  propensity  harmonized  wdth  conscience 
and  with  each  other ;  while  all  their  varied  activities 
were  but  a  succession  of  varied  pleasures.  In  the 
whole  exercise  of  his  faculties,  in  all  the  feelings  of  his 
heart,  in  all  his  words,  and  in  all  his  actions,  there  was 
a  perfect  conformity  to  the  mind  and  will  of  God. 
And  his  love  to  that  transcendently  great  and  glorious 
Being  was  a  perennial  source  of  the  most  sublime  and 
exuberant  joy.     And  all  the  various  displays  of  the 


TUE    SIXTH   DAY.  561 

Divine  wisdom,  power  and  goodness  in  the  scenes  and 
objects  around  him,  in  the  animate  and  inanimate, 
were  illustrious  sources  of  pleasure  to  his  mind. 
Wherever  his  eye  turned  its  glance,  God  was  seen ; 
and  wherever  He  was  seen.  He  was  seen  with  inex- 
pressible delight.  The  endlessly  diversified  forms  of 
beauty,  grandeur  and  glory  in  the  new  creation,  were 
ever  regarded  by  Him  as  exhibitions  of  infinite  excel- 
lence, delighting  and  improving  and  ennobling  his 
immortal  spirit.  Thus  did  God  create  man  in  His 
own  image,  and  after  His  own  likeness. 

HIS   HELP-MEET. 

To  complete  the  happiness  of  man  God  created  for 
him  an  Help-meet — male  and  female  created  He  them. 
The  end  and  object  of  this  arrangement  was  not  only 
the  multiplication  of  the  species,  but  also  the  enhance- 
ment of  happiness  to  each,  by  the  interchange  of  those 
amiable  affections,  and  those  ofiices  of  sympathy  and 
kindness  which  should  arise  from  the  inherent  diversity 
of  character  in  the  sexes.  The  one  was  intended  as 
the  complement  of  the  other :  to  man  was  given  a 
firmer  and  stronger  frame,  and  a  mind  more  vigorous, 
more  patient  of  toil,  and  more  equal  to  difficulties ;  to 
woman,  a  more  delicate  and  beautiful  form,  and  gentler 
and  lovelier  affections,  more  refined  tastes,  and  more 
tender  sympathies.  Thus  the  woman  found  in  the 
man  what  was  lacking  in  herself;  and  the  man  in  the 
woman  what  would  complete  his  own  character;  and 


562  THE    SIXTH   DAY. 

thus,  too,  each  saw  in  the  other  qualities  to  be  esteemed, 
admired,  and  loved ;  while  the  reciprocation  of  these 
tender  feelings  and  affections  served  to  double,  and 
more  than  double  the  bliss  of  both. 

To  enhance  and  elevate  the  social  happiness  of  His 
earthly  offspring,  the  Creator  bestowed  on  them  one 
other  gift  of  immeasurable  worth  and  importance — the 
gift  of  Language.  Of  all  the  living  tenants  of  the 
new-made  world,  speech  was  given  to  man  alone,  as  he 
alone  had  reason  to  employ  it ;  and  it  is  impossible  to 
estimate  the  advantages  and  the  pleasure  that  flowed 
to  the  happy  pair  through  this  faculty.  It  is  in  itself 
a  most  striking  display  of  the  Divine  wisdom  that 
contrived  it.  In  the  wonderful  system  of  man  have 
been  inserted  two  or  three  little  organs,  so  exquisitely 
contrived,  which,  by  a  few  scarcely  perceptible  motions, 
"  can  shape  the  air  into  sounds,  which  express  the 
Ivinds,  properties,  actions  and  relations  of  things,  under 
thousands  of  aspects,  in  forms  infinitely  more  recondite 
than  those  in  which  they  present  themselves  to  his 


senses."  * 


REFLECTIONS. 

What  a  concourse  of  wonders  have  we  now  seen  in 
connection  with  this  the  last  and  crowning  work  of 
the  Creator's  hand — his  erect  and  noble  form — his 
expressive  countenance,  and  hand  of  instinct  powers — 
his  soft  and  delicate  skin  without,  and  his  marvellous 

*  Whewell. 


THE   SIXTH  DAY.  563 

mechanism  and  vital  chemistry  within — his  admirable 
senses,  and  keen  perception — his  brain,  the  sacred 
temple  of  the  soul,  with  its  telegraphic  nerves  in  in- 
stant and  uninterrupted  connnunication  with  every 
part — his  powers  of  memory,  reflection,  reasoning  and 
imagination — his  unlimited  capacity  for  knowledge,  and 
the  astonishing  achievements  of  his  intellect — his  varied 
and  powerful  emotions,  enkindling  vital  interest  and 
hnpelling  to  ceaseless  activity — his  unslumbering  con- 
science, God's  faithful  witness  in  the  soul,  always  and 
instantly  declaring  in  favor  of  truth  and  righteousness 
— and  the  sweet  harmony  of  all  his  parts  and  powers 
and  faculties  with  the  will  Divine.  "  How  illustrious 
a  being  was  man  as  he  came  from  the  hands  of  his 
Maker  !  With  what  dignified  attributes  was  he  en- 
dued. For  what  high  pursuits  was  he  qualified.  To 
what  sublime  enjoyments  was  he  destined.  In  him 
was  found,  in  an  important  sense,  the  end  of  this 
earthly  system.  Without  man,  the  world,  its  furni- 
ture, and  its  inhabitants,  would  have  existed  in  vain. 
Whatever  of  skill,  power  and  goodness  were  displayed 
by  the  creative  Hand,  there  was,  before  the  formation 
of  man,  none  to  understand,  admire,  love,  enjoy,  or 
praise  the  Creator.  The  earth  was  clothed  with 
beauty ;  the  landscape  unfolded  its  delightful  scenes ; 
the  sky  spread  its  magnificent  curtains ;  the  sun 
travelled  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength ;  the  moon 
and  the  stars  solemnly  displayed  the  glorious  wisdom 
of  their  Author,  without  an  eye  to  gaze,  or  a  heart  to 


564  THE  SIXTH  DAY. 

contemplate.  A  magnificent  habitation  was,  indeed, 
built  and  furnished ;  but  no  tenant  was  found.  Brutes 
were  the  only  beings  which  could  enjoy  at  all,  and 
their  enjoyment  was  limited  to  animal  gratification. 

But  man  was  separated  from  all  earthly  creatures, 
by  being  formed  an  intelligent  being.  His  mind  could 
trace  the  skill  and  glory  of  the  Creator  in  the  works  of 
His  hands;  and,  from  the  nature  of  the  work,  could 
understand,  admire  and  adore  the  Workman.  His 
thoughts  could  rise  to  God,  and  wander  through  eter- 
nity. The  universe  to  him  was  a  mirror,  by  which  he 
saw  reflected  every  moment,  in  every  place,  and  in 
every  form,  the  beauty,  greatness,  and  excellence  of 
Jehovah.  To  Him  his  affections  and  his  praises  rose, 
more  sweet  than  the  incense  of  the  morning,  and  made 
no  unhappy  harmony  with  the  loftier  music  of  heaven. 
He  was  the  priest  of  this  great  world,  and  offered  the 
morning  and  evening  sacrifice  x)f  thanksgiving  for  the 
whole  earthly  creation.  Of  this  creation  he  was  also 
the  lord,  the  rightful,  just  and  benevolent  sovereign. 
The  subjection  of  the  inferior  creatures  to  him  was 
voluntary,  and  productive  of  nothing  but  order,  peace 
and  happiness.  With  these  endowments  and  privileges, 
he  was  placed  in  Paradise,  no  unworthy  resemblance  of 
heaven  itself;  and  surrounded  by  '^  every  thing  which 
was  good  for  food,  or  pleasant  to  the  eye.'  In  an 
atmosphere  impregnated  with  life ;  amid  streams  in 
which  life  flowed;  amid  fruits  in  which  life  bloomed 
and  ripened ;  encircled  by  ever-living  beauty  and  mag- 


THE   SIXTH  DAY.  565 

nificence ;  peaceful  within ;  safe  withoui ;  and  conscious 
of  immortality ;  he  was  destined  to  labor  only  that  he 
might  be  useful  and  happy,  and  to  contemplate  the 
wonders  of  the  universe,  and  worship  its  glorious 
Author,  as  his  prime  and  professional  employment. 
He  was  an  image  of  the  invisible  God,  created  to  be 
like  Ilim  in  knowledge,  righteousness,  and  holiness. 
His  illustrious  attributes ;  and,  like  Him  to  receive 
dominion  over  the  works  of  His  hands. 

In  this  situation,  removed  far  from  death  and  disease, 
from  sorrow  and  fear,  he  was  formed  for  endless  im- 
provement. His  mind,  like  that  of  angels,  was  capable 
of  continual  expansion,  refinement  and  elevation ;  and 
his  life  of  perpetual  exaltation  in  worth,  usefulness  and 
honor.  God  was  his  Visitor;  angels  were  his  com- 
panions." * 


We  have  now  reached  the  close  of  the  most  wonder- 
ful, most  interesting,  and  most  important  chapter  of 
History  in  the  possession  of  man — a  chapter  containing 
the  first  written  discovery  that  God  has  made  of 
Himself  to  mankind,  and  in  which  His  eternal  power 
and  Godhead  shine  forth  with  a  light  of  demonstration, 
and  a  sublimity  of  grandeur,  that  command  the  pro- 
foundest  homage,  and  most  devout  adoration  of  all  His 
rational  creatures. 

Looking  back  over  the  field  surveyed  in  the  fore- 
going  pages;    the   Universe,  in   all   its  vastness   and 

*  Dwight's  Theology,  Serm.  xxii. 


566  THE  SIXTH  DAY. 

magnificence,  emerging  into  existence;  the  Earth, 
assuming  its  beauty  of  form  and  garniture,  and  all  its 
variety  of  inhabitants  in  sea  and  land  and  air;  the 
attendant  Moon,  with  its  mystic  motions  and  appalling 
scenery,  setting  forth  in  its  ceaseless  rounds ;  the  stu- 
pendous Sun,  in  the  greatness  of  his  might,  balancing 
a  hundred  revolving  worlds,  and  sending  forth  ceaseless 
streams  of  light  and  heat  and  attractive  power  to  guide 
and  serve  them  all ;  and  the  innumerable  Stars  of  light, 
centres  of  other  systems  of  grandeur,  all  strewn  through 
the  unfathomable  depths  of  immensity — how  great  and 
marvellous  a  work  was  that  of  Creation !  How  won- 
derful and  glorious  must  be  its  Divine  Eternal  Author ! 
What  must  be  that  Mind  in  which  all  existed  in 
perfect  and  clear  plan,  "  when  as  yet  there  was  none 
of  them !"  What  must  be  that  Source  of  Life  from 
which  all  intelligences,  and  all  conscious  existences, 
in  all  worlds  have  emanated !  What  must  be  that 
Nature  from  which  dropped,  as  from  an  overflowing 
exuberance,  all  that  is  good  and  beautiful  and  majestic 
and  exalted,  in  the  whole  universe !  Who  can  show 
forth  His  greatness?  Who  can  utter  all  His  mighty 
acts  ? 

Holy,  holy,  holy,  Lord  God  Almighty,  which  was, 
and  is,  and  is  to  come !  Thou  art  worthy  to  receive 
glory,  and  honor,  and  power;  for  Thou  hast  created 
all  things,  and  for  Thy  pleasure  they  are  and  were 
created.     Amen. 

The  End. 


c 


Princeton  Theolog 


1012 


ical   Seminary   Libraries 


111 


01247   9426 


DATE    DUE 


GAYLORD 


PRINTEDINUSA 


